Resurrection of Our Lord
Acts 10:34-43
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Mark 16:1-8
Alleluia, Christ is risen
Christ is risen indeed, alleluia!
The women that first Easter morning
started with anything but alleluias,
rather they set out full of grief, purpose,
and anxiety over logistics.
They are grieving the death of Jesus,
their teacher and friend,
who not only died
but was killed in a brutally public way,
and then quickly put in a tomb
before the sabbath prohibitions against work started.
Now, at the first opportunity,
as the sun rises and ends the sabbath
they set out to properly take care of Jesus’ body,
the only thing is,
they know that a large stone was placed in front of the tomb,
big enough that they know they will need help rolling it away,
and they are wondering who they will get to help them
at this hour of the morning
but as they arrive and look up
they see that the stone has already been rolled away.
So they enter the tomb,
but instead of seeing Jesus as they expected
they are confronted with a messenger dressed in white
who tells them the impossible news
that Jesus has been raised
and left a message for them
to go tell the disciples and Peter that he will meet them in Galilee
where they will get to see him for themselves.
“So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
And there Mark’s version
of the story of the first Easter morning ends,
with terror and amazement and silence.
I love this ending
because it seems so real to life,
this is the kind of encounter
that has to sink in a bit
before even shock sets in
so unexpected
that leaving the place and keeping quiet
seems instinctual.
Let’s be honest,
it’s probably how most of us would react.
Now obviously God found a way
through their terror and amazement
because the news does get out
- we wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t-
but I imagine that it started softly with a whisper,
first among themselves,
confirming that they had all had the same experience
that no this wasn’t a figment of one person’s imagination.
And then the whispers move
to a close confidant or two,
trusted friends,
because who can keep something like this held inside?
this is something that must be shared,
even as an uncertain whisper,
and then one confidant listens and ponders and affirms
‘I think you experienced God, I believe you’
and with this affirmation
the whispers became louder
as confidence in the message grows
and what were once whispers
end up as full throated proclamation!
Alleluia, Christ is Risen, Christ is Risen indeed alleluia!
This makes sense to me
because isn’t this how God works in our lives?
We find ourselves in a situation
where we are consumed by grief or pain
or confusion and anxiety over logistics,
we go along
wondering who we will get to help us
move this huge stone,
and then we look up
and the stone is rolled away
and we are struck silent for terror and amazement seize us
and we question whether we are sane,
but soon we find a confidant
and in hushed and confused tones
we tell of our experience
because this is something that can’t be held inside,
and we keep whispering
until someone says ‘I believe you, I think you experienced God’
and our voice becomes more confident
as we share what the risen Lord has done for us.
Alleluia, Christ is Risen, Christ is Risen indeed alleluia!
God found a way through the women’s terror and amazement
just as God found a way through
the other disciples’ fear and hesitation and locked doors
just as God found a way through
the struggles of Peter who denied Jesus,
just as God found a way through Paul
who persecuted the church.
This is the grace of God,
the grace that comes to its fullness on the cross
and at the empty tomb,
grace, as Paul says, is not in vain.
The Grace of God is never in vain.
It always finds a way through.
God’s grace toward us is never in vain,
even if we start out persecuting the church,
Even if we start out strong, deny Jesus and then come back
Even if we are filled with terror and amazement
and say nothing when we have been commanded to speak.
The grace of God is not in vain for us, for you
Even if you are only here because Grandma made you come
Even if you don’t know why you’re here,
or it feels like your faith has led you nowhere.
Even if you feel like God’s grace is for everyone except for you.
By the grace of God
we are what we are
and God’s grace toward us is never in vain.
By the grace of God
we are Easter people,
easter people who proclaim
Alleluia, Christ is Risen,
Christ is Risen indeed alleluia!