"Victory for the Defeated"

Psalm 118 Defeated. Have you ever felt defeated? You gave it your best effort, you had the highest hopes, you felt strong, the goal was in sight, but then it all fell apart. And instead of lifting your trophy as you dance around the winner’s circle, you’re a sad heap of sorrow flopped on the ground. Defeated. It can happen in sports, in politics, in diplomacy, in argument, in a doctor’s office, on the job, in marriage, just about anywhere. Where have you experienced defeat? I’ve experienced it on the golf course – in one tournament I lost every single hole to a better player, it wasn’t even close. I’ve experienced defeat when a girl in high school said “no” to me on the telephone, ouch! I’ve experienced defeat when a fantastic candidate got pounded in a dirty election. I’ve experienced defeat when a church had to close. I’ve experienced defeat when a friendship was betrayed. I’ve experienced defeat in realizing the terrible consequences of a fatal car accident. Most of the time, I don’t enjoy remembering defeats. I don’t think you enjoy remembering your defeats, either. I don’t want to bring you down on this beautiful Easter Sunday, but I begin here because to appreciate the Easter victory we need to be honest about how far we have come. All the way from the worst defeat, to this new day, to celebrate victory that lasts forever, the kind of victory that is once and for all. I love it when I discover spiritual treasures in the Bible, today from Psalm 118: “I was right on the cliff-edge, ready to fall. , when God grabbed and held me. God’s my strength, he’s my song and salvation. Hear the shouts, hear the triumph songs in the camp of the saved? The hand of God has turned the tide! The hand of God is raised in victory! The hand of God has turned the tide! I didn’t die, I lived! And now I’m telling the world what God did!” [Psalm 118:13-17] Well, of course, the Bible is not all happy talk, it includes lots of sad stories about defeated people, Adam and Eve ejected from the garden, the Hebrews enslaved in Egypt, Goliath crushing the Israelites, the Babylonians capturing Jerusalem and carrying away all of its people into exile, the Romans conquering the country and humiliating the people. All of these defeats culminate in the Cross. Where Jesus died. Defeated. That's what Jesus friends thought when they saw him arrested, that's what they thought when they saw him beaten and spat upon, that's what they thought when they saw him dragging his cross up the hill of crucifixion, that's what they thought when they saw him breath his last and die. Defeated. The murderers had the last word. He hadn't done anything to hurt anyone. Healing the sick, feeding of the hungry, loving the left-out. These had been powerful experiences for them all, signs of hope for the future. But the future had been defeated before it really even had a chance to begin. Defeated. The murderers had the last word. The women went to the tomb early Sunday morning with herbs and spices, oils and myrrh, and fresh burial clothes. They went to the tomb to wash Jesus body, to comb his hair, to close his eyes, because he had been buried in a hurry in the last moments before the beginning of the Sabbath on Friday evening - unwashed, dirty, and bloody. His last words on the cross as he died had been, "My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?" They felt abandoned too. Defeated. The murderers had the last word. Now you know the story of what they found when they reached the tomb where Jesus was buried – it was empty! It looked like the murderers had had the last word, but now they aren't so sure. If he's not here, where is he? They see the burial bandages strewn on the floor. And then a strange young man begins to speak, telling them to look for Jesus in Galilee. It's not much to go on, but the truth of the resurrection slowly sinks in: Defeated? No, it is God who will have the last word. It is God, the Lord of Creation, the Lord of History, who has the last word, how could they have ever thought otherwise? Think of a defeat you have experienced. As the women stood at Jesus’ tomb, as we stand at any scene of defeat, as we remember any defeat, we acknowledge today that it is God who has the last word. The murderers’ words are lost in the wind, sink into the sand, are washed away by the rain, but the word of God stands for eternity. This is a day of victory for the defeated. It was a day of victory for those defeated followers of Jesus. It is also a victory for you. This is not like a sports victory, where the players put the trophy in the glass case, and then have to prepare for the next season. Easter is a once and for all victory, the trophy is never put away, but a victory we can experience each and every day. In one way we have robbed this victory of its power, by celebrating it once each year in the spring. In fact, every Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection victory. Just listen to these final phrases in Psalm 118: “This is the very day God acted - let’s celebrate and be festive! Salvation now, God. Salvation now! Oh yes, God –a free and full life! Thank God – God is so good. God’s love never quits!” Where is the risen Christ today? Not defeated, but moving ahead of us into Galilee and everywhere else where defeated people are found, to show that the Cross was not a defeat, but for an eternal purpose: the salvation of everyone everywhere. You see, God has the last word. He is not here. He is risen. He's already moving ahead. You can catch up with him in Galilee. If you think that what he did before made people talk, you should see what he's about to do next. Starting today. Starting with you.