Sermon Luke 24:1-12 March 27, 2016 EasterC
Christ is Risen
The women did on the third day as they had done for so many
other relatives.
They knew the routine. They had done it just a few weeks earlier
for Lazarus.
They gathered up the spices and placed them in the baskets
as they prepared to go to the tomb to care for the body of Jesus.
They had held vigil for him at the foot of the cross.
They had seen him buried in the tomb.
He had been buried just as other loved ones had been.
Except this time, there was a guard and a large stone. And
they wondered a little bit about how to handle the stone.
Women do as women have done
from the beginning of time
and continue into this time.
Somehow in the midst of grief and in the pain of loss, they
get up, and they put one foot in front of the other.
They know that work still has to be done.
Dishes need doing, hungry mouths need to be fed, kids need
to be heard, spouses need to know they matter, and companies still rely on them
to show up for work.
We can learn a lot from the women who have gone before us.
Our mothers, or aunts or grandmothers have given us examples
of how to keep going when it seems like we can’t.
They have given us some amazing ways of how to cope when we
think we can’t.
They can tell some stories of how they made it through tough
times.
It might be a good time to have a cup of tea with those
women and listen to their stories again of days gone by.
I guarantee you, you will find your own strength to go forth
as you listen to their strength.
It is only natural then, one might say, that it was the
women first who saw the empty tomb.
They encountered the risen Lord before the rest.
They discover the unexpected, the unbelievable, the
perplexing absence of the body of Jesus.
But, before they could even begin to speculate as to what
had happened the dazzling men appear.
And here is where all the Good News appears-not the dazzling
men-well maybe-ok, back on track here.
The women are in awe of God as they realize the messengers
of God have appeared before them. They bow down in full reverence with their
faces to the ground and their hearts pounding over the presence before them.
And this is the beginning of the good surprises.
I am reminded by the words of one wise person, saying, “In
this day and time there are so few good surprises left. We are able to know so
much, so when we have a choice of a good surprise let’s allow it to come to
pass.”
In our day when good surprises are rare, can we still be
surprised by the joy these women encounter when they are told that Jesus has
risen?
It is this good news that causes musicians to write music
that takes our breath away when we hear the sounds of the Alleluia chorus.
It is the joy of this surprise that fills churches with
fanfare and celebration and banners, colorful flowers and people raising the
roof in song.
The greatest blessing on Easter (as well as Christmas) is to
have a sanctuary filled with people visiting from all over.
How joyful it is for a congregation to witness the visits of
others who have come on a special day to join in with song.
What a wonderful gift it is that so many choose to share in
the good surprise of the Resurrection!
The Resurrection of Jesus-or as my children lovingly would
say, “when Jesus came alive again”-is the greatest surprise of our faith.
His presence with us and within us now and forever more has
completed full circle all the promises of Scripture from beginning to end. Part
of the Easter vigil that is held on Saturday is the reading of all of those
familiar promises God offers for God’s people. God’s love is from everlasting
to everlasting.
How can we continue to live out the good news of the
surprise of Easter morning?
One way we do is by making sure our kids have egg hunts and
other happy occasions of surprise. We offer joy to others by dropping off some
flowers or an unexpected gift. Throw a surprise party for a friend. Or perhaps
an even greater surprise of joy to come by and visit.
The women as they ran from the tomb to tell the others broke
the silences around them. They heard the words of these men of God, they were
surrounded by these words of fulfillment, “Why are you looking for the living
among the dead, he is risen.” They could not contain their joy and amazement.
Without a thought they went running and shouting the Good News, the great
surprise in the streets and to the others-even though the disciples thought the words
were idle talk. Peter at least went and realized the same joy as the women.
Yes, and we too can carry on the great surprise of the Good
News of Christ is Alive by breaking the silences around us and go running down
to the others we know and shout out that he is no longer bound by death, but is
victorious in life.
We could choose to believe this Jesus is the Christ and
discover the surprise of his truth within us to change and transform and fill
us with the joy of hope and wonder.
We can carry on the Resurrection,
the Easter surprise story
by living in the invitation of Jesus
to live as he lived, “I give you a new commandment, that you
love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another.”
Amen.
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