The
holy gospel according to Matthew (28:1-10).
After
the sabbath,
as the first day
of the week was dawning,
Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.
2And
suddenly there was a great earthquake;
for an angel of God,
descending
from heaven,
came
and rolled back the stone
and
sat on it.
3The
appearance of the angel was like lightning,
and
its clothing bright as snow.
4For
fear of the angel the guards shook
and
became as if dead.
5But
the angel said to the women,
“Do not be afraid;
I
know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.
6He
is not here;
for
he has been raised, as he said.
Come,
see the place where he lay.
7Then
go quickly and tell his disciples,
‘He
has been raised from the dead,
and
indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee;
there
you will see him.’
This
is my message for you.”
8So
the women left the tomb quickly
with fear and great joy,
and
ran to tell his disciples.
9Suddenly
Jesus met them and said,
“Greetings!”
And
they came to him,
took
hold of his feet,
and
worshiped him.
10Then
Jesus said to them,
“Do not be
afraid;
go
and tell my brothers to go to Galilee;
there
they will see me.”
The
gospel of the Lord.
-----
I
need to confess that I have not been feeling Easter this year. I have felt like I’m still in Good
Friday, or even Holy Saturday.
Like these women—these Marys—I feel almost numb. Every time I turn on the news or get
online, there is another tragedy.
As I was working on this sermon, the news came out that we had dropped
the biggest non-nuclear bomb ever used in combat in Afghanistan.
And
it’s not just what our and other governments are doing in other countries. It’s in our corner of the world
too. Kids are still sick, people
we love still die, Immigration and Customs Enforcement could come in and tear
this community apart at any time, and domestic violence still haunts our
community.
We
know that the world both far and near is not how it should be. And yet we still show up. Like the brave women, the Marys, who
show up at the tomb. They bring
nothing. In Matthew’s account they
don’t bring any spices to anoint the body, or anything at all really. We don’t hear them worrying about how
they’re going to get into the tomb.
They just go, walking numbly along the path to the tomb. Maybe to sit and stare. Maybe to sit and cry—if there are any
tears left, that is. Maybe just to
not be alone with their grief.
The
women show up and God crashes into their sorrow and grief. God breaks in, literally rocking their
world with the resurrection. The folks
guarding the tomb are lost in fear and become “as if dead.”
There
is no denying the violence and pain that put Jesus on the cross and then into
the tomb. That violence is just as
real today around the world: at the hands of our and other governments, as well
as at the hands of individuals, like the pastor in San Bernadino who killed his
estranged wife, a child in her class, and himself, and in domestic violence in
our own community over the last few years.
Violence
is real. Jesus is still being
crucified and in this reality the women come to the tomb. Mary and Mary, these faithful women
caught in despair, show up at the tomb.
They show up because even though they might not have a plan or hope, it
is the faithful thing to do.
The
witness of these women—the first witnesses of the resurrection—would have held
no legal standing in their time and they have been maligned throughout
church history. Yet these women
show up, expecting nothing but a tomb and the bloodied corpse of the one in
whom they had placed their hope.
The One they thought would change everything.
But
this isn’t the end. This is where
we are with the world right now, and
this is where Christ breaks in.
This is where the resurrection shakes the foundations of this world.
Bishop
Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land points
out that “The powers and principalities of sin and death could not overcome the
love of God. Yes they could
crucify Jesus. Yes, they could
bury Jesus. But they could not
bury God’s love for this world.”
THIS is what Easter is.
The
women show up at the tomb, because it is the faithful thing to do and God
breaks in. Into their sorrow and
confusion, the angel proclaims the message Christians have greeted each other
with for thousands of years as the angel says, “6He is not here,”
Christ is risen! Christ is risen,
indeed. Alleluia!
In
the face of all the violence: resurrection breaks in!
In
the face of sickness, death, and despair: resurrection breaks in!
In
the face of broken relationships, lost lives, and hopelessness: resurrection
breaks in!
In
the face of every single thing that
beats us down, discourages us, and gives us every reason not to believe:
resurrection breaks in!
Resurrection
breaks in no matter what!
The
women respond “with fear and great joy”
because resurrection breaks in.
These
women show up today and throughout history. Though they are not always named or recognized, women have
been showing up forever. They have
known the secret that perhaps we who gather here today know deep in our souls,
no matter what else we might think.
The women know: sometimes you just need to show up, even if you don’t
want to or even if you don’t know why.
Because
resurrection does break in!
And
God, after all these years, still breaks into our lives, shaking the very
foundations we’ve thought were so solid.
Resurrection
breaks in when executions are stayed, granting life in the face of death.
Resurrection
breaks in when Muslims give blood to help Coptic Christians who were victims of
violence.
God
breaks in in surprising ways that don’t make sense.
Resurrections
breaks in and changes us!
Resurrection
changes our relationship with Emmanuel,
who is
God-with-us,
and who is the
God of life!
Jesus
has vanquished death and the power it holds over this life.
Despite
all of the potential for evil, resurrection breaks in and Love wins.
Despite
all of the reasons we might have to despair, despite our human capacity for
death, destruction, and hatred, resurrection breaks in and evil doesn’t have
the last word.
Love
is still stronger than hatred or fear.
Life
still conquers death.
Because:
Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed.
Alleluia!
Resurrection
breaks into our lives!
Christ
resists oppression and overcomes evil!
In
the face of all that may come, we can trust that no amount of evil will ever be
the final word. No amount of evil
will conquer.
Because
life is different
Because
resurrection breaks in
Because
Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is
risen, indeed. Alleluia!
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