A Palindrome Easter
January 24,
2010
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures,…”
Meditations on the Message:
What’s a palindrome?
How is the Easter message a “palindrome”?
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament proclaim that Christ has __________!
The message of Easter is that we are now _____________.
The message of Easter is that we too will _______________ from the dead.
Easter means that God will __________ us no matter how we come to him in repentance.
The message of Easter, any way we look at it, is that our life has been _________________!
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One of the fun things about teaching confirmation class are the off track discussions we sometimes
get into. One of the students came up with a very interesting sidetrack a while ago. He brought up
the subject of “Palindromes.”
What’s a palindrome? It’s simply a word that reads the same forward or backward. “Kayak” is a
palindrome. Forward or backwards, it’s still spelled, “K-a-y-a-k.” The name “Otto” or “Mom” are
palindromes.
Palindromes can also be put into phrases and sentences. For example, the phrase, “A Toyota’s a
Toyota” read backwards is “A Toyota’s a Toyota”. They can also be made into questions such as, “Am
I drawn inward, Ima?” Yep, that’s a palindrome, too. Forward or backward, it’s still the same
question.
Some people who have way too much time on their hands have even written whole stories that are
palindromes. If you read the story backwards, it reads exactly the same. I found one which was over
five pages long!
Enough about palindromes…almost. When you think about it, palindromes may actually be a great
example as we celebrate Easter. Why? Because, if you think about it, whether you're coming or going,
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Easter Sunday
ILCW “C” 2009-2010
A Palindrome Easter
January 24,
2010
it doesn't make any difference. The message in the palindrome is the exact same message coming or
going, forward or backwards.
Let me assure you there are no palindromes in the Easter story… at least none I know of. But one
thing I do know. No matter how you read the Easter story, no matter which Gospel account you read,
no matter which Old Testament prophecy you consider, the Easter story is the exact same message…
no matter how you read it.
Let me give you some examples from the Old Testament prophets. A thousand years before Christ’s
death and resurrection the eternal Son of God spoke through David and said: “you will not abandon
me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” 1 Or “The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone.”2 Think of the words of Job: “I know that my Redeemer lives and in the
end he will stand upon the earth.”3 Let’s not forget the prophet Jonah who was in the belly of the
great fish for 3 days as a type or picture of Jesus being in the tomb for three days. Seven centuries
before Holy Week he told the world through Isaiah: “though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand”
(Isaiah 53:10).
Jesus didn’t keep any secrets, especially when it came to his death and resurrection. Days and weeks
before he died, he told his disciples, “The Son of Man will be crucified and on the third day he will
rise again.” Years before Good Friday he told the religious leaders, “Go ahead, destroy this temple,
and in three days I will raise it up.” And then there are those great Easter words from 1 Corinthians
15: “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen
asleep.”4
There was a lot on the line when Joseph and Nicodemus gently laid Christ’s body in the tomb. If his
promise to rise from the dead fell empty and unfulfilled, what would happen to us, his followers?
Paul tells us. “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” 5 And he
goes on: “Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.” 6 A lot was on the line. But there
was never any doubt, never any crossing of fingers and hoping for the best. The promise Jesus himself
made 1,000’s of years earlier were promises Jesus himself kept on Easter Sunday. Going or coming,
before Christ or after Christ, the message is the same – Christ has risen!
But this isn’t just textbook stuff. This isn’t just some valuable information we can tuck away
somewhere in our minds in hopes that it may prove useful somewhere down the line. This is a
powerful and significant message for us right now.
And on Easter Sunday, the Sin-bearer rose triumphantly and left behind that tomb of death and
decay. Paul, in his first recorded sermon, quotes David’s Psalm: “The fact that God raised him from
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Psalm 16:9-10
(Psalm 118:22)
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(Job 19:26-28)
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(1Corinthians 15:20)
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(1 Corinthians 15:17)
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(1 Corinthians 15:18).
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A Palindrome Easter
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the dead…is stated in these words: ‘You will not let your Holy One see decay.’…therefore, my
brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.” 7
Jesus rising from the dead is proof that the Father accepted his payment for sin. And if the Father
accepted his payment for sin, then your sins have been taken away and you stand forgiven…not two
thousand years ago…not someday off in the distant future…but right now!
Sin has been dealt with by Christ. It still leaves its mark, however, just as God said it would. A famous
playwright, George Bernard Shaw, remarked, “The statistics on death are impressive. One out of one
people die.” God once breathed the breath of life into Adam’s nostrils. But then sin breathed the
breath of death into him. These bodies of ours, fearfully and wonderfully made, grow sick and old and
weak and one day suddenly stop functioning.
Yet our culture tries desperately to gloss over the unpleasantness of death. Our cemeteries have
become memorial parks. Coffins and headstones have become works of art. People don’t die
anymore, they pass away. This is not how Christ met death. He didn’t try to camouflage it. He didn’t
side-step it. He met it head-on in all of its ugliness, violence and gore. He entered the grave…only to
leave it three days later so he could promise us, “I didn’t stay dead, and you won’t either.”
Yes, in a way far more profound than a palindrome can communicate, no matter how you read these
words— forward, backward, upside down, inside out… whatever you can think of— they still say the
same thing. It’s the same message: since Christ is raised we too will rise from the dead.
The result? We can go to God. Interestingly enough, there’s a Gospel palindrome that says just that:
“Do go to God.” Say it forward, “Do Go To God.” Say it backwards, “Do Go to God.” That’s what we’re
here for… to go to God… forward, backwards, anyway we can. God accepts us any way we come to
him in repentance… forward, backward, bent out of shape, even broken. In those times, “Do go to
God.” Because of the resurrection, we can go to God again and again and again and again. Always
confident in this: That He will give us His grace.
Jesus Christ has risen! That’s not just a fact of ancient history. That’s not just something we
celebrated today. Christ’s resurrection is the foundation of our reconciliation with God. It’s the
reason for our eternal hope. The message of Easter, any way we look at it, is that our life has been
changed!
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Because Christ rose, we can stand here this morning, confess our sins before God, and I can
say with confidence: “Go in peace; your sins are forgiven.”
Because Christ rose, we can be sure that our Savior is not dead. And if he is not dead, he is
alive. And if he is alive he is not reclining in a heavenly lawn chair sipping lemonade unaware
or uninterested in our struggles down here. Instead, he is, as he promises, ruling over all
things for the good of his church. He is holding his powerful and loving hand of protection and
guidance over us throughout every stage and every moment of our lives.
Because Christ rose, we who have been given new life in Christ, have a powerful and pertinent
message to share. We can give a lasting inheritance to our children and grandchildren – one
(Acts 13:34-38)
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that can never perish, spoil, or fade. We can offer this resurrection medicine to the sick souls
who are dying without the joy of Easter in their hearts and homes.
Because Christ rose, we don’t need to gloss over the cold reality of death. We can visit our
loved ones who are nearing death and we can hold His cross before their closing eyes. We can
stand at the graveside of one who has died in Christ and we can lie on our own death beds
and sing:
“Jesus lives! The vict’ry’s won!
Death no longer can appall me.
Jesus Lives! Death’s reign is done!
From the grave he will recall me.
Brighter scenes will then commence;
This shall be my confidence. (CW #145:1)
What can we say to that? The only thing I can think of is, “Wow!” Hmmm… come to think of it, that’s
a palindrome, too! Say it forward, “Wow!” Say it backwards, “Wow!” Say it together with an
exclamation of joy, “Wow!”
Christ, our Savior, is risen! Let us rejoice! Thank you, God— with all our heart, mind and soul…
forward AND backwards— for saving us. Amen.
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