Christ is Risen!
Tonight is a holy
and blessed night! We have heard the
ancient stories of Creation, the Great Flood, and the Exodus of God’s people
from Egypt. We heard how God loves this
world and all the creatures God made to live in it. We heard how God handed us the keys to this
world and gave it into our care for nurturing.
In the story of the Flood God promises us that never again will the
flood come to destroy all of creation. God sets his glorious bow, the rainbow
we see after storms when the sun shines through the raindrops, and renews his
covenant with us, to love us and protect us. And then we hear the story of the
Israelites, sold into slavery in Egypt, their children saved from death at the
Passover of the Lord, who walked behind Moses into the desert to find the
promised land. God walked that long
journey with them. Sometimes the people
were faithful to God, and sometimes they gave up and complained about the
troubles God and Moses had brought on them.
They were not always grateful.
Moses didn’t make it to the other side of the river, but eventually they
came home to the Promised Land. God
creates us, recreates us and brings us home.
Tonight is a holy
and blessed night! We had our dear Jesus with us here on earth for a very short
time. He loved us, showed us how to love
others, gave us our marching orders and sent us out in the power of his grace
and love to heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, comforted those who are
mourning, befriend the lonely, care for the afflicted. And in doing these acts
of compassion, Jesus encountered elements of the established powers of various
kinds who were threatened by his love and the power it had to change the lives
of ordinary people. Because he so
threatened the powers that be our Lord Jesus Christ was cruelly and unfairly
crucified and left to die on the cross. We are the witnesses at the cross,
loving him, fearing for our lives, dying with him in his suffering and shame.
We are his mother, Mary, and the other Marys, watching and praying as he
suffers and dies. We are Peter and the
other disciples, hiding out to see what would happen next. One can only imagine
the chaos that followed Jesus’ execution.
The disciples were confused and scared - even faithful Peter lied three
times denying that he knew and followed Jesus. Jesus had said he would rise
again but at this moment none of them thought of that promise. It was chaos.
Joseph of Arimathea, a good and righteous man, asked for Jesus’ body and laid
it in his own newly-made grave, a cave in the hillside. It was securely closed
with a very large stone, almost impossible to move. The women who had witnessed
Jesus’ death from the foot of the cross had gone elsewhere to gather and
mourn. Then in the morning they brought
the spices and other items they needed to prepare the body for eternal rest
when the story unfolded as we just heard in the Gospel reading. The women
approached the grave with what we can imagine was some fear and worry – in
other versions of this gospel they wonder how they will move the stone, what
they will find, even if they will be allowed to approach. So as they come on the site imagine how they
felt when the tomb was open, the incredibly heavy stone rolled away and Jesus
gone. They must have looked and looked
again – did someone steal away his body? So in the middle of this confusing and
fearful scene two men appear in “dazzling” clothes. In submission the women bow
their heads to the ground, did they fear that they, too would be killed in this
moment. We can only imagine. Instead
they received a kind of scolding and a remembrance: , "Why do you look for
the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told
you, while he was still in Galilee , that the
Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third
day rise again." Yes, then they remembered how Jesus said he would rise
again, but they hadn’t understood. Now
there was some hope to cling to in these dark days. Jesus wasn’t gone, Jesus’ body hadn’t been
stolen from the tomb, but raised up, still present in the world. They ran back to tell the other disciples,
but their story seemed so impossible that they were dismissed, except for
Peter. He went to see for himself and
found all as the women had said, the open tomb, the empty place where Jesus
lay, the rumpled clot hs that had been placed over him. And then he remembered Jesus’ promise, too.
Tonight is a Holy
and Blessed Night! We have seen the
flame of God’s love for us and all creation and followed it into this
sanctuary. We remember Jesus’ love for
all people and especially those sick, in prison, suffering, mourning, dying,
without hope, without family, alone. How will we recognize the risen Christ
among us? We know he is not dead, you
can’t look for a grave and a headstone that says Jesus Christ, King of the
Jews, on it. You won’t find it. Christ is risen and lives among us, around us
and IN US! In the story of the women returning to the tomb in the Gospel according
to Mark, the author ends with this statement “And afterward (that is after he
was risen) Jesus himself sent out through them (the disciples) from east to
west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation”. Now we must go and do the same: Jesus’ work
of bringing compassion and care to those who suffer. In a few minutes we will
renew our baptismal vows – let’s pay careful attention to the questions we are
asked and promise to fulfill. They are: Will you continue in the apostles’
teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers? Will you
persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return
to the Lord? Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in
Christ? Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as
yourself? Will you strive for justice and peace among all people,
and respect the dignity of every human being? With God’s help , Jesus’ guidance and the
power of the Holy Spirit, we will.
Christ is Risen!
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