Easter Sunday April 20, 2025

Pastor Brett Ehlke

Dead and Buried— We have come to the final stretch of Lent, known as “Holy Week.” Think about what that title is implying. We normally talk about a “holiday” (short for “holy day”), where one day is set aside for some special observance or celebration. But for centuries, believers have set aside this entire week for special observance. Clearly, what is discussed during Holy Week is important. Indeed, what we see happen this holy week is the foundation of our eternity. In Holy Week, we see the impossible. The Son of God dies. The Lord of life enters the last place he belonged—the grave. But what we will see this week is that, when Jesus entered the tomb, he did not go alone. He buried all our baggage with him: sin, guilt, shame, condemnation, fear. Jesus will walk out of the tomb. But thanks to him, those things will all stay dead and buried.
 

A New Covenant Buries an Old Contract— On Thursday of Holy Week, Jesus began to execute the terms of the New Covenant. This New Covenant replaced an old one and was fundamentally different from in it every way. While the Old Covenant was more like a contract, the New Covenant is more like a will. The old offers rewards in return for work; the new makes unconditional and lasting promises. The old will always leave us starving in our relationship with God; the new satisfies the deepest hunger of our soul. This is precisely why Jesus connected this new covenant with a special meal. To an uninformed outsider, the Lord’s Supper looks like a poor snack—a bite of bread and sip of wine. But the followers of Christ understand that this holy food provides all the blessings of the new covenant.

Dead and Buried—A New Covenant Buries an Old Contract