Had you entered the sanctuary this morning and seen red poinsettias and heard the greeting, “Merry Christmas,” you might have thought, “Someone has taken my Easter, and I don’t know where they’ve put it.” You would be transported back in time to the experience of those who went to the tomb that first Easter morning. What they found wasn’t what they expected.

Now you’re ready to hear the Easter story from the Fourth Gospel.

(The Gospel is read dramatically.)

A. Predictability, familiarity, and ….

Easter has become predictable. Like Spring Training, March Madness, and The Masters. It’s scheduled on the calendar. We take it for granted. We know what to expect.

The preacher’s challenge is to restore Easter’s power to shock, startle, surprise, terrify, amaze. The preacher must pull a rabbi…