Easter Sunday
Mark 16:1-8; I Corinthians 15:1-11; Acts 10:34-43
Today makes no sense. Today we speak of things irrational, experiences extraordinaire, of life and death and life again. Today the routine is not good enough. This is a day for clean rooms and new clothes. As a child we used to get new suits of clothes for Easter and almost always new shoes. "Your good shoes" they were called. Leather shoes usually in black or brown depending on the clothes you were to wear for dress up. There were bright colored sweaters and shirts, sometimes sport coats and new pants with sharp creases. There is a picture somewhere of my brothers and me and my sister standing on the front steps of the Minnesota house I grew up in just before we headed up the block to church. That was the year the boys are all in saddle shoes, black and white saddle shoes. I think we pulled up our pants a bit just to show them off. My sister is in white paten leather shoes and a wide brimmed white straw hat. As my brother once observed, "There was nothing normal about the way we looked that day. We looked too good."
It is typical of religious and patriotic observances that certain elements of the day involves actions or objects that have a curious relationship to the tradition. There are some things about Easter that seem to make little sense. The plain white eggs for example are colored bright and the "straw" that fills the Easter baskets is peculiar colors of yellow and green and blue. There are rabbits almost every where usually carrying the baskets of eggs even though everyone knows that rabbits don't lay eggs. The menu of foods is varied by traditions but the one constant item while not officially mentioned on the menu is a place for candy. And the candy we eat is anything but the usual fare. Chocolate bunnies, yellow marshmallow peeps and varieties of cream filled chocolate eggs abound. Today makes no sense. Today we speak of things irrational, experiences extraordinaire, of life and death and life again. Today we use a word that is normally used only during the rote recital of the creeds. "Resurrection"
"Resurrection" as in "I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting." It is a word that is so unusual and surprising that it is never actually used in any of the Gospel texts describing the events that give definition to this day. It is a word that was used only later to give full definition to what happened that first Easter morning. Resurrection. It is the word that draws a sharp clear line between the Christian community and all other faiths when it is linked to the name of Jesus. Belief in life after death, eternal life with God, the promise of some heavenly abode is not a uniquely Christian idea. It is shared with other great faiths such as Judaism and Islam. But none of these other faiths base this eternal hope on the example of one who died and rose again. None of these faiths focus ultimately on God's act of love for humanity being free from conditions of human obedience, human will, or human initiative.
Resurrection. We are not talking about a near death experience or resuscitation. We are talking about an event unique in human history. An event so amazing that those who first encountered it were not sure how to feel or what to say about it. Among all the smiles and joy and happiness of an Easter morning there lingers in our Gospel lesson a whisper of the confusing emotion that clouded that first experience of Jesus' resurrection.
We live in a rational and increasingly less awe filled world. Our heroes survive usually about one news story rotation and the wonders of science and technology have become an ordinary part of our lives. Even the medical miracle has almost become the anticipated result. If the miracle is missing we routinely seek out a second or even third opinion. We are not surprised by much any more as reality television provides us vicarious encounters with even our deepest and grossest fears.
When was the last time you were truly amazed by something? When was the last time you were faced with an object or event that left you speechless? Probably the closest we can come in our world today is acts of violence and terror. In the face of what seems to be irrational evil we are often at a loss for words. But what if the fear and terror came not from destructive power but an unexpected embrace of love and life. Our Gospel for this morning takes us to that brink of wonder and awe. Try to imagine an experience of something so unbelievable that you don't want to tell anyone about it because you are sure no one will believe you and yet an experience so wonderful that you cannot not want to tell someone.
This is the stuff of great fantasy and adventure literature. The discovery of gold in California or a lost and forgotten civilization. Wonder and fear overwhelming, like finding a tomb empty with no possible explanation other than that offered by a young man dressed in white. He is risen. He is not here. This is an event that makes no sense. Yet it is the one constant in all four Gospels and is consistently explained with the same word, "resurrection". An empty tomb. Dare we say it? A resurrection. A fact of faith and yet something more. Today Jesus is not just another preacher and teacher who attracted the crowds with memorable stories and well turned phrases. Today Jesus is not just another miracle worker who wowed them with his touch, walked the waves and turned water to wine. Today Jesus is not just another bleeding heart liberal striving to right injustice, shelter the homeless and feed the hungry. Today Jesus becomes the miracle. Today Jesus becomes the Word incarnate. Today Jesus becomes justice, truth and peace. Today Jesus becomes life itself. For many the Resurrection is remembered today as an historic moment. Easter is the ritually remembered date of an event that marks the beginning of the Christian faith. Historically Easter becomes a holiday that marks the transformation of Jesus from being just another great religious leader into the first and only truly resurrected human. A significant historic moment to be remembered and observed like the Fourth of July. Historically speaking the resurrection becomes the promise of a magical future moment that may come to all people. A day to be observed and remembered by gatherings of families and friends.
A day of historical value and memory like Lincoln's Birthday or Martin Luther King Day. A day special for its symbolism and special family photo opportunities.
But we are told the women who witnessed the empty tomb experienced something more then a simple historical moment with possible future implications. There was something about the resurrection that became very real in their lives. The fear they felt was not a fear of the future but the real power of the resurrection changing their lives in that moment. Maybe they remembered the time when Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. That was the time when Jesus had reassured Martha that her brother would rise again and she had declared her faith in the resurrection of the dead and the promise of life everlasting. But then Jesus had said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life" Jesus did not say, I will be the resurrection. He spoke in present tense, "I am the resurrection and the life" Then he made his point by raising Lazarus from the dead then and there.
The disciples who had been a bit slow in their understanding of Jesus suddenly found in the empty tomb a life transforming moment. The apostle Paul also found his encounter with the risen Christ to be so overwhelming it changed his name and life immediately. When the first Easter morning arrived a stark reality struck the women who visited an empty tomb. Resurrection is not just history or even a future event. They discovered that resurrection is lived each day.
To experience something so unbelievable that you don't want to tell anyone about it because you are sure no one will believe you and yet so wonderful that you cannot not want to tell someone. The tomb is empty. Resurrection. A reality of faith in my life. Faith that fills my life. Our lives are filled with a catalog of moments each day that are based on faith. From the simplest actions to the most complex. Think about it. I drive my car home from church and without even a moments hesitation I drive through the intersection firmly believing that other drivers will observe the traffic signals as I cruise through the intersection with a green light. I walk into a room and flip on the light switch firmly believing that the electric company will provide the power to light the lights. I eat the food prepared for the Easter breakfast secure in the belief that it is safe to consume, free of poisons and disease. And then there are the more amazing daily assumptions I make believing that those around me are committed to categories of service, justice, peace and love. Just think of all the assumptions we make about love. And ultimately I discover that all I believe comes down to one thing.
Resurrection. I believe in the resurrection. This is the belief that actually makes all my other beliefs possible. The tomb was empty. The tomb is empty. The veil of death has been dropped. A table is now set before me with Christ present. God's grace is not a future promise but a daily reality. It is not what I do or even what I believe that gives me life. Resurrection is God's act of love that proves God intends for life to be the final word, not death.
Today makes no sense unless the final word of our gospel lesson is the unspoken promise and fact of resurrection. Christ is risen . He is risen indeed.
Amen