Sunday, March 23, 2008
John 20:1-18
Senior Pastor
I think most of us, especially if we grew up in the church,
take the idea that Jesus was raised from the dead as a matter of fact. We almost take it casually. We have been told this story and taught that
God raised Jesus on what we call Easter Sunday morning and we celebrate it, but
in some ways it is so familiar that we miss the mystery and power revealed
to us through this story of the empty tomb.
But not the first disciples – on that first Easter they surely are reeling from the events of the last few days. They have moved with Jesus from a triumphant entry in Jerusalem with a palm processional hailing Jesus as their coming king to being witness to betrayal and abandonment and desertion, trial, torture and execution. The king they hailed has just been hung on a cross and left to die. This surely was not what they were expecting. Now he is dead.
We picked up the story, in our reading this morning from John, as Mary Magdalene makes her way to the tomb under the cover of darkness. John does not tell us, but perhaps she has started out so early so as not to be noticed by those who might want to capture and kill any others that were a part of this Jesus group. At any rate, John tells us that Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb (v.1). She was looking for the dead body of Jesus.
There is no indication that she expected to find an empty tomb. In fact, John makes it pretty clear that not only Mary but also Peter and the other disciple who show up next are all looking for a dead body. In verse 9 John writes, For as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. They are looking for a dead body.
That is not our problem. We do not come to church on Easter Sunday looking for a dead body. No, we come ready to celebrate the risen Christ. We know the story; we know what surprising turns are coming. We harbor no fear or bewilderment. We are ready for the Good News and yet I am afraid we live like there is still a dead body.
These first disciples – once they realize that he has been raised – they live changed lives. They move from a scared and hiding group of individuals into a fearless and bold group of witnesses to the power of God’s love to change everything through the resurrection. Before we leave here this morning I want to make sure we at least get a glimpse of that power. I want to make sure we get a fresh taste of the power of God’s love to change everything.
Most all of us have a tendency to get worn down by the day-to-day activities of our lives. We encounter trouble at work or conflict with a loved one or maybe we are facing some health issues that threaten our life or one we love. Others of us feel the downward pull of loneliness or depression or battle with addiction. Some of us may feel trapped in a marriage in which there is no joy and are feeling unfulfilled. Or there is a burden of guilt because there is something wrong in our life that we have not yet decided to make right. There are so many ways that life can beat us down. There are so many ways to live that are debilitating and frustrating and after awhile, frankly they have sucked the joy and excitement of life right out of us.
It’s not too different than the mother who was trying to coax her son out of bed just to get him to church. She woke him at the appointed time, but he went back to sleep. She woke him again and promised him a hot breakfast if he would get up. He went back to sleep. She came in a third time and said,
“Son, you have to get up and get ready to go to church.”
He wined, “But I don’t want to go.”
His mom says, “Well, that doesn’t matter, you have got to go.”
He says, “Really, I don’t want to go!”
“But you have to,” she replies.
“Why do I have to go?” he snaps.
She says, “ Because you are the preacher!”
I’m just telling you, it can happen to any of us. Life can wear us down. We can lose sight of the love and blessings of God. We can forget that God is alive and work in our lives for good. We can live like Mary Magdalene when she came to the tomb to find a dead body.
But that is not what happened. She came and found that the stone was rolled away and the body was gone. She went and told Peter and they came and confirmed that the tomb was empty. She is crying outside the tomb. She is thinking that not only is he dead, but that the body has been taken and he will not even get a decent Jewish burial. But, then, she encounters these heavenly figures before she sees Jesus himself. At first, she does recognize him until he calls her name – “Mary!”
Can you imagine? I
cannot really imagine how overwhelming all this was to her. Then, as if that is not enough, he gives
her instructions to go and tell the other disciples “I am ascending to
my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (v. 17)
So, Mary rushes to tell the disciples “I have seen the Lord!” (v. 18)
Mary did not find a dead body. Mary encountered the risen Lord. He is alive. This is what we celebrate on Easter. “Christ the Lord is risen today.” Alleluia! Alleluia! If that be true, then let’s not live like she found a corpse. Let’s not live like there is no power of God at work for our good. Let’s not live like we are alone when we face problems. We sing, “He Lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today.”
Let’s live like we sing: “I serve a risen Savior, he’s in the world today; I know that he is living, whatever foes may say, I see his hand of mercy, I hear his voice of cheer, and just the time I need him, he’s always near.” (p. 310, The United Methodist Hymnal)
Do you recognize the name Marcia Gay Harden? She is an actress. She has been in more than 30 movies and won an Oscar for her role in the movie Pollock, as Jackson Pollock’s wife in 2001. But recently she wrote about what she says was perhaps the most important role of her life. In happened before she had even earned her Screen Actors Guild Card. She had been playing small parts trying to break into the big time. In between roles she was still working as a waitress. One day a couple of ladies came into the restaurant where she worked and said, “We would like to offer you a job.” That is exactly what a struggling actress wants to hear, so she said, “What is the part?” “Probably not what you think,” one of the women said. “Snow White.”
“Snow White? Where is the production?” she asked.
“Georgetown University Hospital,” the first woman said. “We’re from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. A seven-year-old girl named Bonnie is dying of pediatric cancer. Snow White is her favorite movie. And Bonnie’s wish is to meet Snow White.”
Marcia Gay Harden says she has always felt, when she was playing a role she connected with, that God was using her for something good. This part felt right. She accepted on the spot. But when the ladies called back a couple of days later with the date they wanted to put this together, there was a problem. It was the same day Harden had a big audition with a name director. She could not believe such a thing could happen. She says, “I didn’t sleep a wink that night.” Hospital or big break audition? Back and forth she went. Part of her kept saying, “Success had to be Priority Number One… They could get another Snow White.” But that just didn’t feel right.
When she couldn’t reschedule the audition, she cancelled it. She got ready for the Snow White part and on the appointed day headed for the hospital. The only problem was that she was crying all the way because she was missing the most promising audition of her career. But she pulled it together and steadied herself to enter the room.
“What I found stopped me cold. All my doubts about whether this was the right thing to do vanished. I’d been prepared to meet a sick girl. I knew Bonnie was seven, but she barely looked five. I stood there dumbly for a second, but when Bonnie saw me her face lit up like a candy store. ‘Snow White!’ she exclaimed.”
“Hello Bonnie! I’m so glad to see you! I’m so sorry that Grumpy and Sneezy and Doc weren’t able to make it!”
We talked for a while then she took my hand and said, “Snow White… when I die, will the prince kiss me and then I’ll wake up again?”
Harden said she never imagined that this young girl had wanted to meet Snow White to ask a life-after-death question. “I shut my eyes for a moment. How do you answer a child’s question like that? The room fell silent. I opened my eyes and said, ‘No Bonnie, it’s even better. When you go to heaven, God will kiss you and then you’ll wake up again.’” (Guideposts, March 2008)
…it is so familiar that we miss the mystery and
__________
revealed to us through this story of the empty tomb.
The king they hailed has just been hung on a cross…to ______.
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still
________,
Mary Magdalene
came to the tomb (v.1).
…no indication that she expected to find an __________
tomb.
…yet I am afraid we live like there is still a dead ________.
I want to make sure we get a fresh taste of the power of
God’s ________ to change everything.
There are so many ways that ________ can beat us down.
I’m just telling you, it can happen to ______ of us.
…he gives her instructions to go and tell the other disciples…
“I have seen the Lord!” (v. 18)
Let’s ________ like we sing: “I serve a risen
Savior,
he’s in the world today; I know that he is
living,
whatever foes may say, I see his hand of mercy,
him, he’s always near.”
Do you recognize the name Marcia Gay ____________?
…when she was playing a role she connected with,
that ______ was using her for something good.
“…when I die, will the prince kiss me & then I’ll wake up…?”
“…God will kiss you and then you’ll ________ ____ again.”
Kid’s Question:
Can you sing or say a line we sang today?