Easter Sermon  April 12, 2020 Scripture:  Matthew 28: 1-12  “ The Risen Christ on the Go.” One Sunday late in Lent a Sunday School teacher decided to ask her class what they knew about Easter.  The first little fellow suggested, “ Easter is when all the family comes to the house and we eat a big turkey and watch football,”  The teacher suggest that perhaps he was thinking of Thanksgiving.  Next a little girl answered, “ Easter is the day when you come down stairs in the morning and you see all the beautiful presents under the tree,”  A this point the teacher is really feeling discouraged. After explaining that the girl was probably thinking about Christmas, she called on a lad with his hand tentatively raised in the air.  Her spirits perked up as the boy said “ Easter is the time when Jesus was crucified and buried.” She felt she had gotten through to at least one child until he added, “ And then He comes out of the grave and if he sees his shadow we have six more weeks of winter.” ( p. 65  An Encyclopedia of Humor ed. Lowell D. Streiker)   Not too long ago we had a family event called , “ Easter beyond the Bunny”    We had a good time doing a puppet show, playing outside with a parachute and doing an egg hunt in the sanctuary and retelling the whole story with the  contents of the eggs.   Did the children get it, did they understand what Easter was all about?  Actually do you and I?  We know the story  or stories.  We may even have a couple of the songs almost by heart. But each year we learn anew the meaning of those stories and songs.          I invite us today to delve in to one of the stories of Easter told by the writer of Matthew.        In Matthew’s gospel the tomb of Jesus is opened with great fanfare- an earthquake, an amazing angel with an appearance like lightning, and terrified guards.  Whew.  But the women who had come to the tomb were unfazed. The angel told them not to fear.  Then they received the message which would change their lives.  The resurrection message to these woman was that the risen Jesus was going before them to  Galilee. It was there that the disciples would see him.       It makes me wonder, why have them return to  Galilee?   It was not so easy a journey as today.  It would take time and resources.  Couldn’t they like the women who went to the tomb have an experience of the  Risen Christ’s presence...