John 20:1-18
April 5, 2026
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, Oakland, CA.
“Happy Easter!”
All over the world, preachers and churches are proclaiming, “Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!” If I didn’t say that, it wouldn’t be an Easter message.
Probably not like how Peter and the other disciple were running to see what Mary Magdalene saw that the tomb was empty. Probably not how Mary Magdalene met Jesus after mistakenly thought that he was the gardener, ran to tell the disciples that “I have seen the Lord!”
You and I didn’t run here this morning. When I look out at you this morning, not many if anyone is here breathless. Perhaps no one ran to get here, but some may have raced down the freeway to get here assuming that there will be fewer parking spaces because churches are usually fuller on Easter Sunday.
I am here because I came for the Sunrise Service and enjoyed an amazing breakfast with our Kachin sisters and brothers.
Why are you here? Are you here to hear something new, or to hear the old, old story once again? Is it anything more than the force of being on the calendar or that you bought a new Christmas bonnet to wear out today?
The Swiss theologian, Karl Barth said that what brings people to worship—not just on Easter, but any day—is an unspoken question clinging to their hearts and minds, and that question is simply this: “Is it true?”
Is it true that God lives and gives life? Is it true that God not only established a familiar routine, what we call the laws of nature, but that one day God will break that familiar routine and somehow raised Jesus from the dead? Is it true that something so extraordinary happened on that morning that we can only rebuild our lives on its foundation? Is it true that what happened in Jerusalem, so long ago and so far away in another part of this planet Earth has the same power over our lives in Oakland through this faithful church, we call Lakeshore Avenue? Is it true?
These are indeed powerful questions and they are unavoidable to not be asked on this day, Easter Sunday.
Faith and Doubt
For those of you who have been members of the Christian community and therefore, you arefamiliar with Jesus’ life and teachings, heard the Sermon on the Mount, read the Gospel books and Paul’s epistles, you are more easily able to believe that “Jesus is risen. He is risen indeed!” Maybe we have read and heard this so many times in our lifetimes that we believe. The mystery tale of Jesus rising from the dead is no longer a fictional novel but a history book.
But today, of all Sundays, we have run to worship on Easter, a day on which we proclaim the very things that may be the hardest to believe. Maybe it’s not what we believe is the reason why we are here today but it’s what we are still questioning and having doubt about that we are here.
What’s been said about this passage is that there was a lot of running; from the tomb and away from the tomb, from the tomb to town, from town to the tomb. All this running was happening is because just like today, raising from death to life, from out of the tomb to back to life is a big deal at that time as it is surely is today. Like these ancient people, we have seen people die and never once have we seen anyone come back to life again.
The story about doubt is that it reaches to the deepest regions of our hearts and minds, where both doubt and faith are found. That is, in the resurrection, God gave us such a miracle of love and forgiveness that is worthy of faith, and thus open ourselves up to doubt. The very doubts that we have leads us to also proclaim the power of truth.
The beginning of a life of faith doesn’t begin with what we already believe but it first begins with what we have doubts about. It’s from our questioning and unbelief that begins a journey toward answers and belief.
If everything we want to believe in can be verified by our 5 senses, then it’s not faith. In fact, it’s the realities about which we hold no doubt that may not be large enough to reveal God to us. Easter makes sense to us is because what we proclaim is too mighty to be understood with our human senses, too wonderful and amazing that these events of resurrection extend beyond our common sense.
Because we have doubts is the reason why we are here today; to once again say to God and to one another, “Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed!”
Easter is the Beginning
It may be true that the passage we read from John is Chapter 20 toward the end of the book. But Easter is actually the beginning. Easter is not a dramatic conclusion to the story, but rather, Easter is the beginning of the story. It’s the beginning of my story and your story.
When we read Acts, the very first story that was told was not about the earthly life of Jesus nor his teachings, but rather, it was about the resurrection. Jesus’ life and teachings only take on meaning when we take into the full account of who this teacher is, that is, God’s chosen one who is to die and be raised again.
For the early followers of Jesus, the beginning point of Christian proclamation was the Easter event. Over and over again, the disciples started their preaching about Easter, as if it were the only place to begin. So, it is with us today. We begin with Easter.
You are here with your doubts and faith to begin running to the empty tomb. Last Sunday, Perry Jue started running to begin her new life in the baptismal waters to pray to God and to proclaim to you and the whole world that she is beginning a new life.
This may be an old, old story but this ancient story is also the beginning of a new story for each one of us. And whenever you witness a believer’s baptism as we did last Sunday, we once again acknowledge our doubts in order to affirm again that we are still striving to believe that God can raise someone who is dead to life.
I have been praying about what may happen after today. Even after the euphoria of Good News that Christ is risen and he is risen, indeed, Easter Monday is nothing like Easter Sunday. Not only do we return to the everyday lives that we have, we return to the 24-hour news stream of war, terror, threats to our democracy, unchecked powers, disrespect for other human beings, the fear of the other, affordability, and the list goes on.
It’s harder to believe if it is true when we are confronted with such troubles. But from our troubles and our doubts is when faith begins. We may have come today wanting to know if it is true, we are leaving today perhaps with just a little bit more hope and faith that it is indeed true.
Ascension
When Mary met Jesus, Jesus told her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your father, to my God and your God.’ “(v. 17)
At the beginning of John’s Gospel, we read, “the Word became flesh” and those who receive him and believe in his name will be given “power and become children of God.” (1:14, 12) By living into and living out our life in God, the ascended Jesus extends his relationship of the children of God for all who are united in him as sisters and brothers.
When Jesus ascended to heaven, he claims that death has not ended God’s plan on earth but rather extended the promise of resurrection beyond this life on earth. This new life in resurrection is located in the heart of God. It is not new life that only lives to die another day. Instead, it is new life that abides in God, and this lives on forever.
On Easter Monday, we believe that this new life that abides in God, lives on forever. And for every day onward, this new life that abides in God, lives on forever.
Lakeshore’s sanctuary tree cross is not only a focus of our worship every Sunday but it represents an empty cross because Christ is risen. It also represents an ascending cross that is no longer tether to this world but is God’s promise that we are the children of God, united in Christ as sisters and brothers. It’s not buried deep down, six feet in the earth, not in a grave, but it’s ascending reminding us that Jesus Christ is no longer nailed to the cross but “He is risen, indeed!” Our lives will live on forever too.
Angels Today
There’s a story of when a pastor knocks on a door and hears a woman inside call out, “Is that you, angel?” The pastor replies, “No, but I am from the same department.”
Is it true? Can we believe what we are hearing today? As modern people, who like to think of ourselves as sophisticated, we sometimes forget the idea that God could raise someone from the dead would be as difficult for these ancient people to believe as it is for us. These ancient witnesses were no different from us today.
When I was baptized at First Baptist in Boston, I was in high school. My peers got baptized a year ago but I remembered I didn’t step forward. I had doubts. I wondered about how strong my faith was and wanted to be more convinced before making the decision to be baptized. Another year went by and my pastor, Rev. Charles Griffin was patient with me. I attended an Inquirers Class and I was baptized along with my cousin, Donna. But I soon had doubts again—Is it true?
I shared these questions and doubts with Rev. Griffin and he was willing to have additional one-on-one conversations with me. Baptism was just the beginning of my life journey of faith. From my questioning, my unanswered questions became my faith affirmations. From my request for my classes, came my lifelong commitment to learn more and to believe more. From my doubts, my faith became stronger.
Easter is just the beginning.
You are invited to begin your journey of faith beginning with your doubts first. You are welcome to run like the two disciples were trying to see who would run faster than the other, to see a miracle that has happened.
Will you see the Lord? Mary Magdalene gave the very first sermon when she said, “I have seen the Lord!”
I have seen the Lord and I pray that you see him as well.
As Easter People, both with doubts and faith, we are all from the same department. Children of God, sisters and brothers at Lakeshore, we proclaim the same news: “Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!”
Let us pray.
Appear to us again, O Christ, as you appeared to Peter and to the unnamed disciples in their home. Take away the shroud that covers over our doubts that we might be exposed to your healing, assuring presence. The surprising news of life overcoming death has left us wondering and amazed. We do not know what to think. But today we celebrate the good news of the resurrection when hope is restored, courage is given, and trust is strengthened. Bless us as Easter people to be witnesses in the world for “We have seen the Lord!” Amen.