Easter Day

 

Easter Day – John 20:1-18 – April 9^th, 2023

Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed, Alleluia! +

    That morning, they were all expecting a fight, a slog. Mary arrives early at the tomb that Sunday, because she was expecting a horrible day. She and the other women were going to properly prepare Jesus' body for burial. But it'd been around 39 hours since 3 on Friday when He had died. And He had been brutalized in His Passion. What a horrid thing to expect to deal with – and then that's even if you can wrangle your way past the guards, and if you can get the giant stone rolled away – and then after you're done you'd be considered ritually unclean and you'd have to hide away for a week in isolation. It was going to be a horrible slog of a day.

    And she gets there, and the stone has been taken away. And Mary panics, that's not right, something is wrong with the tomb, and she runs to Peter and John, Jesus' disciples, Jesus' friends, they will know what to do. And Peter and John take on off at a run to the tomb. What would they find there, would there be people desecrating, defiling Jesus' body? Did Peter have his sword that he had swung in vain the last time he had been with Jesus, was John the son of thunder ready to unleash it at any foes? The adrenaline surge, the panic, the focus, the intensity – ready for a fight. And they get to the tomb... and there's no fight to be had. John gets there first and looks in, and it's empty. Peter clatters on in – and it's not been ransacked... things are surprisingly neat, the head cloth all folded up nicely. And Peter and John are flummoxed... and then they leave. Just ditch poor Mary there at the tomb and head home.

    Mary decides she'll look in the tomb, and now there's someone there. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” Ah, the wonderful, incredulous question of the angels – why? Why are you crying? This is joyous, this is what Jesus had told you would happen! But Mary's not ready for that yet – Mary's still preparing for a fight. She said to them, “They have taken away my LORD, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” Mary is still ready for a fight, to dive on in and do something. There's some scoundrels, some rascals, some rotten thieves – and I've got to undo what they've done.

    Then she turns, and there before her is a Living, Breathing Man, and this Man asks her why she's weeping. And in her tears, her determination, her sorrow, her flood of emotion she assumes that this Person is running the place, and maybe He knows so she blurts out, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have lain Him, and I will take Him away.” Do you hear the grit, the determination, the fight in Mary? I don't care where He is, I will go there and I will drag Him away myself if I have to. So ready to fight to try to put right something that she's got no way of fixing. That's really been the story of humanity since the Fall – we get born into this world, and there's so many fights to be had. Fights we need to fight but can't ever win. Slogs we just have to slog. The daily grind. To say nothing of the stupid fights we find ourselves in because we are worn and weak and weary and just so used to fighting.

    Jesus knows. Jesus came fighting. We saw that all these past six weeks – Jesus fighting sin, fighting Satan, fighting death itself. And we all saw victory after victory for Jesus, but then there was another fight, another battle on Friday. And Jesus died. So, at that moment, there in that Garden, Mary figured Jesus' fight went the way they call go in the end. Failure and Death. So back to the hopeless fight. Mary only knew fighting. The disciples had only known fighting – that was why they had swords, why they wanted to call down fire from heaven from people, why they wanted political power and influence and the respect of the mighty. We know the fighting, the struggle. For so many people that's all they know, and all the stories end in tears.

    Then, the most amazing word Mary had ever heard. Jesus said to her, “Mary.” I always get sidetracked every Easter just wondering what it sounded like when Jesus said her name. Was it a bemused, joyous “Mary”? Was it a slightly exasperated open your eyes already “Mary”? Was it a knowing, understanding, full of sympathy, “Mary”? I get to read it every year, but I don't know, we don't know – but you know what it was for sure. This was no stranger to fight, this was no busybody who she'd have to debate. This is Jesus, risen from the dead. This is Jesus, victorious over sin and death and the devil and the strife is O'er, the battle done. This is Jesus lives, the victory's won. This is there is absolutely no more fight that you need to fight anymore Mary, because I'm the LORD and I'm alive and I know you and you know Me and it is all, truly good. Relax, be at peace (more on that next week) – it's all good Mary, because Jesus is risen.

    She turned and said to Him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Mary had been twisting and turning, whirling around, looking for someone to fight, somewhere to go do battle – but now she is turned to Jesus. And she glomps Him. She grabs Him in a big old bear hug, fighting to hold on to Him and never let Him go – the old fighting tendencies do die hard. And so Jesus says, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” Hang on Mary, or, well, stop hanging on. I've got things to do, but you don't need to worry about things, you don't need to worry about losing Me, you don't need to cling. It's good, I've won. I've won you, I've won your life, your salvation, your eternity with the Father – you'll be spending eternity with Me, we have literally more than all the time in the world. You don't have to fight to hold on to this moment – you have everlasting life, Mary.

    “But go to My brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.'” My victory isn't just your victory, Mary. It's the disciples' victory too. They don't need to be trapped in the fight any more. Go tell them the good news – you know, Good News, literally what the word “Gospel” means. Jesus has won, and they have a full share in His victory. My Father and your Father, My God and your God – and you'll be with Me forever. All those things Jesus had said – that In My Father's House are many mansions, that I will die and Rise, that It is Finished – it's true. It's real. It's bigger, more important than any issue, any struggle, any pestering problem you might face. Jesus is risen – sin is forgiven and death is undone.

    We see the fighting in the world. We see sin in the world and its impacts. We see death. And yes, we are called in our days to fight against sin and wickedness and death, we're called do show forth love and goodness and decency in these dark days. And sometimes, when we're caught up in the fight, we think that the fight is all that there is. And we get battered and worn and overwhelmed – and we are tempted to forget the simple truth. Jesus Lives, the Victory's Won. Period. Yeah, we struggle. Yeah, we have good days, and we certainly have bad days. Jesus Lives, the Victory's Won. We're not trapped in the fight – we're not caught in the day to day slog. We are baptized children of God. Do you know what that means? Even in the midst of things that can spin you around and drag you down and make you run like a chicken with its head cut off – Jesus has called you by name – there, at the font – He said the most amazing word to you – your Name as He saw you baptized, joined unto Himself, declared a child of God for all eternity and not even the gates of hell can do a thing to mess with that. And just as Mary heard her name was was turned to Jesus, Jesus turns your attention to Him again and again with the Gospel – reminding you that He has died and risen, and yes, your sin is forgiven, yes you have life now, life lived in Christ Jesus and in His strength, and yes you have Salvation – Salvation that lasts through all eternity. Sure there's fights around us – But Jesus has won, which means everything that really, actually matters has been won for your already.

    And there are people to tell, people to proclaim the victory of Jesus to. We do so to each other here in the Church all the time – that's why we're here, that's why we need to be here, to hear again the Victory of Jesus, to be turned again to our Risen Lord so we know our life, our salvation is in Him. The world tries to make us forget. And we get to proclaim this to each other. But not just each other - there are so many of our brothers and sisters, our friends, our neighbors, the world out there who have forgotten, who even have never heard, who don't see Jesus' Risen Victory but only just the slog. And we get to tell them. Not fight them – tell them. Because Jesus has won, that's the reality, that's the truth that can never be undone.

    Oh, Mary got more than she was expecting that first Easter morning. Of course she did, because Christ Jesus loves to give, to give good gifts of forgiveness and life, to give people to each other, to give new heavens and a new earth. And now we too live receiving those gifts from Jesus, more than we could expect, by Name, His Body here now, His Blood shed for you, over and over even until He comes again and we are raised as He is raised from the dead and we ascend to the glory of the Father as He has ascended because Jesus never leaves you spinning in the world vainly looking for another fight. No – Jesus has won, and His Victory is yours. A blessed Easter to you all! Amen. Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed, alleluia!