FIRST CHURCH OF PALM COAST

                                                                                                                                                                                                    April 18, 2025

There was a violent earthquake for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and going to the tomb rolled back the stone and sat on it. – Matthew 21:2

Sometimes powerful people think they can utilize their property to keep down persons God has chosen to raise up; but the resurrection reveals that God has power over the property of the powerful. 
This week’s text lets us know that people in positions of power sought to keep Jesus down by placing a very large stone at the entrance of his tomb.
The stone was large, it weighed about 2 tons!
The stone was cumbersome; one man could not move it!
The stone was intended to be permanent, once in place, it was supposed to stay in place. 
The stone was sealed; it bore the insignia of the Roman Empire. 
The purpose of the seal was to authenticate that Jesus’ body had been inspected and that he was indeed dead. Breaking the stone meant automatic crucifixion upside down.
The chief priest, the Pharisees and the Roman prefect were certain that Jesus was dead and that the stone would keep Jesus sealed in his terrible tomb. But God has power over the stones the powerful use to put and keep people down. 
On Easter morning, he broke the seal!
On Easter morning, he ignored Rome’s insignia!
On Easter morning, he rolled the stone away, because when God wants you up, no stone can keep you down!
Today, powerful people use stones to put and keep people down. They use stones to create bleak buildings; we know as public housing, to isolate the poor from the privileged. They use stones of incarceration, we know them as prisons, to house those they choose not to help. The good news of Easter is that God can roll away those stones and enable “sealed in” people to achieve their full potential regardless of the stones of the privileged and the powerful.
Has God ever removed a stone intended to seal you in?

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Yours In Community Transformation.

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 Rev. Gillard S. Glover

 

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