IMPORTANT NOTE: The illustration that opens this sermon about Mel Gibson is not true. It is an urban legend. It has no bases in fact.

Some years ago, a hard-working man took his family from New York State to Australia so he could take advantage of a job opportunity there. One member of this man’s family was a handsome young son who dreamed of joining the circus. He wanted to become a trapeze artist or actor in the circus. This young man, biding his time until a circus job or even one as a stagehand came along, went to work at the local shipyards which were located in the roughest section of town. 

One evening as he was walking home from work, this young man was attacked by a gang of five men who wanted to rob him. The young man tried to fight them off, but there were too many of them. They were armed with clubs. They surrounded him and attacked him and beat him brutally. Viciously and unmercifully, they beat him with their clubs and when he went down, they repeatedly kicked him in the face with their heavy boots… and finally, they robbed him and left him for dead. 

When the police found him lying in the road, they assumed he was dead and called for the morgue wagon. However, on the way to the morgue, a policeman heard him gasp for air, and immediately they rushed him to the emergency room at the hospital. As he was wheeled in on a gurney, a nurse remarked in horror that this young man no longer had a face. His eye sockets were smashed, his skull, legs and arms were fractured; his nose was crushed; his teeth were gone. His jaw was broken. 

The medical team went to work and they saved his life, but his injuries were so severe that he had to stay in the hospital for another year. When he finally left the hospital, his body had healed nicely, but his face was horrendously disfigured. He was no longer the handsome young man everyone admired. And when he tried to find work, he was turned down by everyone because of the way his face looked. One potential employer suggested to him that he join the circus as the Man Who Had No Face… and he did this for a while. But still he was rejected by everyone and no one wanted to be seen in his company. This went on for five years… and the young man became depressed. 

Then one day he passed a church. He went in to pray. As he prayed for help, he became so filled with despair that he began to cry. The priest heard him sobbing and in compassion, took the young man to the rectory. They talked at length and the story came out. The priest was so touched and his heart went out to this young man. 

Now, it just so happened that the priest’s best friend was the best plastic surgeon in Australia. The priest arranged a meeting. When the plastic surgeon met the young man and heard his story, he, too, was moved with compassion and he agreed to perform the surgery at no cost to the young man. All the best dental work would also be done for him. The surgery was a miraculous success. It turned the young man’s life around… and the young man went on to become everything he promised God he would be. He was also blessed with a wonderful, beautiful wife and many children. In addition, he became a big success in an industry that would have been the furthest thing from his mind as a career. And now he publicly credits it all to the goodness of God and the sacrificial love of people who cared for him. 

By the way, the young man’s name is one you will recognize… Mel Gibson! His life was the inspiration for his production of the movie, “The Man Without a Face.” Most women, when they hear that story, say pretty much the same thing, namely this: “That plastic surgeon did a good job!” 

Now, I like that story for a couple of reasons. For one thing, it has a happy ending. I like stories that have happy endings. But also this incredible story about Mel Gibson reminds me of Easter. The Easter Story shows us dramatically that Jesus Christ had the power to rise up from the dead back then… and that He also has the power to resurrect us as well and give us new life right now. 

The Easter Story and the Mel Gibson Story both show us how sacrificial love can bring us out of the tombs that imprison us… and give us a new face, a new spirit, a new chance, a new beginning and a new life. In other words, God has the power to resurrect you and me. This is the Easter message: Christ was resurrected, and He has the power to resurrect you and me. He came out of the tomb and He has the power to bring us out of the tombs that imprison us. Let me bring this closer to home and show you what I mean with three thoughts. 

I. FIRST OF ALL, GOD HAS THE POWER TO BRING US OUR OF THE TOMB OF DESPAIR. 
That is precisely what he did for the disciples on that first Easter Sunday. Think about it. They were down for the count. They had sunk into deep despair. Just a few days before, they had come to Jerusalem so excited, so fired-up with such high hopes… but, then they couldn’t believe their eyes… Jesus was arrested…. and crucified. They were devastated, disillusioned, broken-hearted… The picture of gloom and sadness and despair. 

When the great writer, Wordsworth, lost his friend, Lucy, he wrote these poignant words: “She is in her grave and O! the difference to me.” That’s how the disciples felt. Their Lord was in His grave and O! the difference to them! It seemed to them that all was lost… but then came Easter Sunday... and when they encountered the Risen Christ… they got resurrected, too. Their sorrow was turned to joy. Their agony was turned to ecstasy. 

One Easter Sunday morning, a kindergarten teacher discovered that there was a little five-year-old boy visiting her class. Quickly, she realized that this little boy knew absolutely nothing about the story of Jesus… She began by telling him about the crucifixion, the death of Jesus on the cross. When he asked her what a cross was, she picked up some sticks and put them in the shape of a cross. She then told him that Jesus was nailed to a cross, and then He died. The little boy, with a look of anguish on his face said, “Oh, no! That’s bad! That’s terrible! That’s sad!” In the next breath, the teacher told him, “But that’s not the end of the story. Christ rose again… He came back to life!” Hearing that, the boy’s eyes got big as saucers. His face lit up and he said, “Totally awesome!” 

Well, it is totally awesome, when you stop to think about it. The place of death became God’s greatest symbol of life. Evil had its best chance to defeat God and could not do it. The victory is His… and He wants to share the victory with us. 

God is on both sides of the grave and nothing… nothing… not even death can separate us from Him and His love! Knowing that, we are still going to have some dark moments in this life… but knowing that, we can by the grace of God, be raised above despair. God has the power to bring us out of the tomb of despair. 

II. SECOND, GOD HAS THE POWER TO BRING US OUT OF THE TOMB OF DEFEAT.    After Good Friday, the disciples felt utterly defeated and ready to quit. They thought, “It’s all over!”… only to discover at Easter that they had only just begun. There’s a beautiful story out of history that speaks to this. 

Ignace Paderewski rose to prominence as Poland’s most famous pianist and Prime Minister. During his long and illustrious career, Paderewski scheduled a concert in a small out-of-the-way village in hopes of cultivating the arts in Poland. A young mother bought tickets for the Paderewski performance. Her young son was taking piano at the time – just a beginner. She brought him along to encourage him in his piano training. 

When the night arrived, they found their seats near the front of the concert hall. The mother spotted a friend nearby and began to chat. As she turned back from her visit, she was stunned to see that her little boy was not in his seat. He had slipped out of sight. Just then the house lights came down, the spotlight came up. The audience quieted... and only then did anyone notice the little 10-year-old boy seated at the concert piano on stage innocently picking out Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. 

His mother was ready to faint. The stagehands ran out to grab the boy, but suddenly Paderewski appeared on stage and waved them away. Paderewski quickly moved to the piano… and standing behind the little boy, he whispered into his ear. “Don’t quit! Keep playing! Don’t stop!” Leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in the bass part. Soon his right arm reached around the other side of the boy, encircling the boy to add a running obligato. Together, the old master and the young novice mesmerized the crowd with great music in a magic moment. 

This is the message of Easter. Through the miracle of Easter, God is saying to each one of us, “Don’t stop! Don’t be afraid! Don’t give up! Don’t get discouraged! Keep on playing! I’m here, surrounding you with my love and strength, and I will help you. Don’t quit on Me now!

That’s precisely what the Risen Christ said to the disciples on that first Easter and that’s precisely what He is saying to you and me here and now. Easter reminds us to keep on trusting God, come what may… because He has the power to bring us out of the Tomb of Despair, and the Tomb of Defeat. 

III. THIRD AND FINALLY, GOD HAS THE POWER TO BRING US OUT OF THE TOMB OF DEATH.    Some of you will remember the name of Clarence Jordan. He died in 1969 after a lifetime of sharing the gospel with others. He will probably be remembered most for his home-spun translation of the scriptures which he entitled… The Cotton Patch Version of the Bible. 

When Clarence Jordan died, a magazine editor of Christian Century wrote this tribute: “Dr. Jordan was a divine combination of gentleness and ferocity, fun and heroism, simplicity and eloquence… a man in whom the unlettered poor and sophisticated professionals found a fathomless reservoir of inspiration.” 

They buried Clarence Jordan’s body on a hillside that is part of Koinonia Farms, the bold faith community that he and his wife had founded. At his funeral, a beautiful thing happened. People were sobbing and moaning and grieving as men shoveled the soil of Georgia on top of his cedar casket. But just them, a little two-year-old girl name Faith Fuller, who lived on the farm, unprompted and spontaneously, stepped up to the grave and sang her favorite song to Clarence. She had sensed that this was a special day for her friend, Clarence. So boldly and loudly in her little two-year-old voice she sang this song to him:

“Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday, dear Clarence,
Happy birthday to you.” 

Little Faith Fuller was right, wasn’t she? She led those grieving people into the presence of God with her song. She reminded them that death is not death at all for the Christian. No! It’s a birthday! She reminded them of what we celebrate this Easter morning… that God has the power to bring us out of the tombs of despair, defeat, yes, even death. Christ is risen, and He has the power to raise us up!