Mary ran to the tomb in the dark,
wanting to be near Jesus, even if he was dead;
and found the stone rolled away.
The body was gone. And Mary wept.
Then Mary is asked, the same question twice:
first by the Angels she sees in the tomb,
and then by Jesus:
‘Woman, why are you weeping?’
I imagine Mary’s emotions were quite confused.
She witnessed the death of her friend;
the one who offered her genuine peace,
unconditional love and hope,
the one she believed was Messiah.
Would she have remembered his words about
rising, living always, returning?
And … finding the tomb empty,
she felt another loss.
Then, as the story goes…
when the presumed gardener says her name – ‘Mary’,
she recognizes Jesus.
Resurrection… it is the theme of Easter.
In fact, without resurrection would we even have Easter?
The Apostle Paul wrote to the community of followers at Corinth:
“If there is no resurrection of the dead,
then not even Christ has been raised.
And if Christ has not been raised,
then all of our preaching has been meaningless—
and everything you’ve believed has been just as meaningless.” (I Corinthians 15)
Modern day scholars, Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan
write in their book, ‘The Last Week’:
“Without Easter, we wouldn’t know about Jesus.
If his story had ended with his crucifixion, he most likely would
have been forgotten —
It would simply have been another Jew
crucified by the Roman Empire in a bloody century
that witnessed thousands of such executions,”
The writings of the Apostle Paul contain the earliest writings
that we have on the subject of the Resurrection.
When Paul talks about the risen Christ
he speaks of Jesus as the one who was raised up
into the fullness of God.
He is not speaking about a physical resuscitation,
but a spiritual mystery.
The Christ is fully present to the disciples…
but there is a mystical/spiritual element to the manifestation
of Jesus, when he appears to the disciples and others.
First, the risen Christ appears in a locked room. (John 20)
He walks with two of his followers on the way to Emmaus,
and is unknown, until he breaks bread… and then he vanishes.
(Luke 24)
Jesus appears in both Jerusalem (Luke and John)
and Galilee. (Matthew and John).
He appears to Stephen in his dying moments (Acts 7).
The Apostle Paul meets Jesus in or near Damascus …
as a brilliant light (Acts 9).
And...in the late 90s of the first century …
Jesus appears to the author of the book of Revelation
on an island off the coast of Turkey. (Rev. 1)
The ancient meanings of 'mystical' and 'spiritual'
suggest a reality that is far more important…
much more significant - than our modern English understandings.
In Jesus’ time, the spiritual is about the 'really real'
and the mystical is about knowing and experiencing…
the ‘really real’.
At the time, Jesus' resurrection was both spiritual and mystical
which means it was 'really real' and it was experienced.
Many of us, have met the ‘Christ…
and it was ‘really real’,
an amazing experience.
The first time I remember meeting Jesus I was 13.
I was sitting on the back steps of the church when Communion
was being served in the sanctuary.
I was supposed to be helping the other members of our youth group,
but I snuck away. I wouldn’t be taking Communion anyway,
as, at the time, I did not believe what my Minister said about the bread and the juice.
As I sat on the back stairs, I told God that I just didn’t believe the stories about Jesus.
(I had met God when I was about 8, at the top of my Maple tree…
the tree introduced me.)
I sat there, bored, somewhat dejected and alone.
I then challenged Jesus. ‘If you are real… you better do something!’
Before I could take a breath, I knew I was no longer alone.
Someone had sat down beside me, but my eyes were not telling me who.
I knew… with my entire being, that it was Jesus… somehow he was sitting there,
and it was real… really real.
There was/is… no doubt in my entire being.
I experienced the presence of the Christ, there on the back steps,
of St. Paul’s United, Oakville.
The spiritual and mystical presence I experienced,
changed my life, and still does.
The powerful message of Easter
becomes one of light and hope.
Resurrection reminds us, that ultimately God will bring life out of death.
God’s last word is: Life.
Easter is more than something that happened in the past.
Easter is more than a day on the calendar.
Resurrection is not limited to life after death.
Resurrection happens throughout creation,
over and over throughout our lifetimes.
Resurrection can and does happen here and now.
If the rumours about the empty tomb are to be believed,
then we need not look for the living among the dead.
We can believe that the resurrection of Jesus,
is God’s last word to death.
We are to… - follow Jesus …
- offering radical hospitality to all,
- strive to live with humility,
- embracing nonviolence,
- care for all of creation,
- and live and serve with love.
Today, this Easter . . .
You and I, and God are to break out of the grave…
we are to rise again.
We are to proclaim…
nothing will keep me from living and being alive.
‘Can't no grave hold my body down.’
That song was written in 1939 by 13-year-old Clause Ely.
He was in bed with tuberculosis, and he heard his parents praying.
He remembered the stories of Jesus, and he believed.
New life, new possibilities, with God.
We should be excited and eager to rise up as a follower of the Christ.
We should be dying to rise again.
The Mission is always God's…
and we get to join the dance, to be a part of the mystery.
Sooo… will the body of Christ — the church — rise…..
physically rise, and walk and live, new life in the world today?
If we take seriously our part, of God’s ultimate last word - -
then… yes.
Hallelujah! Yes.
Christ is Risen… He is risen indeed!
In the power of the Christ.. we can stand!
LET ALL OF CREATION GIVE THANKS.
MAY IT BE SO