In this Easter sermon, Pastor James Walden walks us through the story of the resurrection of Jesus from the Gospel of Mark.

Sermon Discussion Questions

1) Holding to a high view of the Bible and yet acknowledging the imperfect copies and translations we have available to us has always been part of the church’s attempt to read Scripture faithfully. Read and discuss Augustine’s comments in a letter to his friend, Jerome (who translated the Latin version of the Bible):

”Only to those books of the Scriptures that are now called canonical have I learned to pay such honor and respect as to believe most firmly that not one of Scriptures’ authors has erred in writing anything. If I do find anything in those books that seems contrary to truth, I decide either that the text is corrupt [i.e., there are copyists’ mistakes], or that the translator did not follow what was really said, or that I have failed to understand it.”

2) The women coming to anoint Christ’s body were not expecting any of the things they found: the stone rolled back, an empty tomb, and a young man in dazzlingly white clothes announcing Jesus’ resurrection (16:3-5a). They were alarmed (16:5b). They fled the tomb with “tremulous astonishment,” mute with fear (16:8). Far from a comfortable familiarity, everything about this first Easter was jolting, unexpected, and even terrifying. How does the resurrection astonish you, and fill you with awe, or “fear and trembling” today? How does it lead you to trust and obey Jesus as the Son of God?

3) Like the many manuscript witnesses of the New Testament documents, we bear both flawed and faithful testimony to Jesus and his resurrection. We each have our own sets of weaknesses, errors, and incomplete parts as disciples. But altogether, both as a local congregation of individual believers, as well as part of a broader network of congregations in our city, state and world, our corporate witness through God’s Spirit is powerful and true. How can we, especially during this extraordinary time, give witness to the astonishing reality of the resurrection, and the hope it offers the world?

James 1:2-11 "Tried & True Part 2"

The Stream at RiversideBy Riverside Community ChurchApr 21, 2024