Dear Christian friends:

The question which the angel asked the three women who came to the grave that first Easter morning is a very important question. The angel knew that Jesus' body was no more lying there; that He had risen and was very much alive. The angel also knew that these women still thought Jesus was dead. So he asked them, "Why do you look among the dead for Him who is alive?"

Have you ever asked anyone that question? If not, why not? Jesus is alive and many people still don't know it or believe it. If you know it and believe it, you like the angel should be asking people that question! Why do we not ask that question?

Perhaps we do not ask the question because we ourselves think Jesus is dead. "How can I think such a terrible thing about you on Easter day?" You ask. You have come here this morning and have joined in singing these beautiful, happy Easter songs. You have just confessed in the Creed that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day!

But remember that first Easter. Jesus' best friends did not believe that He was alive. He had told them before He was crucified that on the third day He would rise from death. But they did not believe Him. We, too, while we sing these hymns and hear these wonderful lessons from the Bible may not be honest about ourselves. We may think and act like we believe He is alive, but deep in our heart we think He is still dead. If we really believed that He is alive, then we would live differently then we now live.

We don't want to think about our own death and the judgement day. We call Jesus our Lord, but we never obey Him or let him rule our lives. We don't care if we please Him or not, we chiefly try to please and satisfy ourselves. Although we may seem to have faith and be cheery on Easter, we really think we can live and get along fine without God.

The two men in our text refused to let the women continue in their unbelief, so they reminded them of what Jesus before had said that He must be crucified and then rise from death on the third day.

Jesus said He must die. Why must He die? What forced Him to die and then to rise again? The answer is God, the Father. God sent Him from heaven to earth to do it. He must come here and accept our place and our sin under the Law and then suffer and die to pay for our sin and rebellion, yours and mine. And He did it. He did it for you! And therefore God let Him arise from death so that all the world may know He did it! Jesus died for you so you could believe and have life again, life with God.

So why try to live without God? Why should you stay in fear? Why? He died for you and rose again for you! One thing we see about these three women that is impressive is that they were looking for Jesus. True they looked in the wrong place, but at least they were looking for Him. They did not expect to find Him alive.

But do we look for Him really (if at all)? On Sunday we may look for a clean shirt and for our box of offering envelopes or for our car keys, but not really for Jesus. We think we know what we will see and find when we arrive here in church.

We hope we will meet our friends here and that pastor will not preach too long, so we can hurry away to our Sunday afternoon pleasures. On Easter the children search for Easter eggs. What are you searching for?

Maybe the two angels should say to us this morning: "What are you looking for? Why not start looking for something important?"

Why do we fail to look for Jesus? Because we feel satisfied without Him. We have plenty of food, clothes and many pleasures. But if you were lying in the hospital near death waiting for a kidney transplant or if your doctor just told you that you have cancer and only a few months left, you might start searching for comfort and peace and hope; but now this Easter all is fine and you are sleeping the sleep of death.

We must learn to look harder for Jesus and look in the right place. Also we must remember that Jesus came to seek and find us.

After Jesus arose from death on Easter we may think His work was all finished. But it is not finished. Now He still must keep coming to us with the question of the angels: "Why do you look among the dead for Him who is alive?" And then He must remind us again and again about His dying and rising. He still keeps coming to us through our pastors and other Christian friends. He keeps on trying to awaken us to our great need and saying: Here is exactly what you need: life for death; food for hunger; water for thirst; God for every need.

Here is what you need: Jesus, who died for you and rose again to make you God's people, all of you. And He wants you to say this to one another and to find one another. Are you finding one another? St. Paul shouted out to the Ephesians: "Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead; and Christ will give you life."

The answer to the angels question is: We will not seek the living Jesus among the dead; we will seek for Him among the living." Who are the living? Where do we find them? Here are the living. Here are the people who have received baptism into His death so that they might rise and walk in new life. You should be the living ones. Are you?

Is Jesus living and ruling in your heart and life today? Are you letting His joy, His love, His mercy and kindness shine out through your words and deeds? Are you saying the Good News this morning to one another, "Jesus Christ is risen today!" as if you really believed it and meant it? And not simply saying, "Happy Easter; Oh, nice pretty hat you have! It's a nice day;" Are you living to help others like Jesus did? Are you ready to die and risk yourself for others who need your help, as He did all the way?

Here we are this Easter, we are the living ones! So look for the living Jesus among those to whom He has given life. This is what we shall show and say to our neighbors when we go home today and where we work tomorrow: Look for the living Jesus among the living believers to whom His Spirit has given new and everlasting life. But lets start saying it now here at church, practice with one another. Say it, through our beautiful Easter hymns. Say it when we visit after church. If we search we shall find Him and see Him. We know it is true because the angel says, "He is risen!"

Amen.