“If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. 21 For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; 22 for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” – 1 Corinthians 15:19-26
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Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes.
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her. – John 20:1-18
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Happy Easter! It is good to see all of you this morning and to celebrate this beautiful day!
Last week Pastor Dylan was here with you on Palm Sunday – a day that begins in celebration but has dark overtones to it, a sense of a building darkness. In contrast, this morning our Easter story from John begins in darkness but ends in joy.
In our reading for this morning, the apostle John tells us that Mary Magdalene came to the tomb on Easter Sunday even before the sun was up.
Mary loved Jesus very much, and she was grieving his loss deeply. Mary is one of the disciples who had the courage to stay with Jesus the whole time he was on the cross on Good Friday. She had witnessed everything, and she had helped to prepare the spices for Jesus’ burial.
Now, on this morning, as Mary approaches the tomb, she sees that that the tomb has been opened – and the pain in her heart is made fresh all over again. Grave robbers were common back in those days, and Jesus had been laid in the tomb of a rich man, so it’s likely the thought ran through Mary’s mind – along with the thought ‘why couldn’t they just leave him in peace?’
Mary immediately ran off to find Peter and John (John is “the other disciple” mentioned in our reading). And she told them:
“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don’t know where he is.”
On hearing this, the men ran to the tomb. They looked in, and saw the burial linens and the cloth that had been around Jesus’ head; and they believed Mary’s story, but they didn’t know what to make of it. So they went home.
Meanwhile Mary stayed at the tomb, still weeping. She looked into the tomb, and when she did she saw two angels who weren’t there before. They were dressed in dazzling white and sitting where Jesus’ body had been laid. And the angels ask Mary, “Woman, why are you weeping?” (This is a question I’m sure the angels knew the answer to; but they are helping Mary to gather her thoughts and feelings into words.)
It’s interesting that Mary didn’t react to the angels the way most people in the Bible react to angels – she’s not afraid, she doesn’t tremble, she’s not speechless. I think maybe her sorrow put her beyond all that. She just said to the angels, “they’ve taken away my Lord and I don’t know where they have laid him.”
Then Mary turned to go… and as she did she saw someone in front of her, all blurry because of her tears. She assumes it’s the gardener, the caretaker of the place. He also asks her, “Why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” and Mary says, “Sir, if you’ve carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will come and take him.”
Someone once said, “gardens are the place where heaven and earth collide.” And it’s often been said that “one is closer to God’s heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth.” It’s interesting that Jesus’ arrest, death, burial, and resurrection all happened in gardens.
At any rate, in this garden, in this moment, Mary’s earthly expectations collide with a heavenly reality. Jesus calls her name: “Mary!” Immediately she knows him, and she cries out “Teacher!” and gives him the biggest hug ever.
As the moment passes, Jesus says to Mary:
“Don’t hold on to me now. I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go tell my brothers, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Why would Jesus be talking about his Ascension right now? The ascension is still weeks away; Jesus is going to be on earth for a while yet. Basically because his ascension completes the story. It answers the unanswered questions. Jesus’ resurrection isn’t just about one person coming back to life. It’s about the promised Messiah breaking free from death, and returning to God in order to open the path for human beings to follow the same road – to have the same relationship with God that Jesus has.
We’ll talk more about that in a few weeks on Ascension Sunday! For now, Jesus is appointing Mary Magdalene to be his first apostle. Mary is not usually listed in most lists of apostles: but the word apostolos in Greek means ‘one who is sent’ and Jesus is sending her. As one theologian puts it:
“Jesus’ commission to Mary earns her the title of ‘apostle to the apostles’.”[1]
In appointing her to do this, Jesus breaks with all tradition and legal precedent, because the law back then did not allow women to be witnesses in court. But Jesus makes Mary the first witness and the first evangelist – that is, the first bearer of the good news that he is alive. Jesus says to Mary, “go tell my brothers” – and she does. Mary finds the disciples and tells them, “I have seen the Lord!” and she relates to them everything Jesus has said to her.
So what does all of this mean for us this morning? So many things!
First, like the disciples, we come to this Easter morning in the middle of a very dark world. I don’t need to list for you all the things that have been in the news lately. Just to mention one: Just this past week we had a prayer service on the steps of Sts Peter & Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Carnegie, to remember those who have died in Ukraine – some of them relatives of people who attend that very church in Carnegie.
Second, like Mary, many of us come to this Easter morning on the edge of tears, having lost loved ones or having been through serious illnesses. Sometimes we wonder how it can be Easter when life is so difficult? We come to Jesus’ tomb – even though we already know how the story ends – we come still not quite knowing what to expect… wondering what Jesus will do in our time, on this Easter Sunday. We hear the message that Jesus is alive… but what does that mean for us today, right now? Like Mary we seek the Lord.
Third, for those of us who have lost loved ones – which unfortunately is far too many of us here today, myself included – we know what it is to grieve. We know what it is to look on the body of a loved one, and know the person we love isn’t there any more. None of us has ever seen anyone come back to life. It’s hard to imagine, it’s hard to picture in the mind. But the good news of Easter is this: death is conquered. It has been reversed. Our loved ones are not lost. Jesus said that when we call God “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” that God is not the God of the dead but of the living. Resurrection happened for Jesus and it will happen for all of us.
Which brings us to our reading from I Corinthians this morning. Paul says, “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For since death came through a human being [Paul is talking about Adam & Eve], the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being [that is, Jesus]; for “as in Adam all die, so in Christ will all be made alive.”
Paul says Jesus is the “firstfruits” of the dead – which means there’s more fruit to come, lots more! When Jesus returns he will bring with him all the people who have died in Christ – all the people who have loved Jesus and been faithful to Jesus. And this faithfulness is a relationship, not a set of beliefs. In the garden that first Easter morning, Mary wasn’t wrapping her arms around a theology, she was wrapping her arms around Jesus: her teacher and her Lord.
Paul also says “the last enemy to be destroyed is death” – which is good news for all of us: for the martyrs; for those who have given their lives in service of various kinds; for the victims of Hitler and the victims of Putin; for those who have died of COVID or cancer or any other horrible disease… this is good news for all of us! Jesus, by his death and resurrection, has opened the way for each one of us to be with God forever, just like Jesus is.
It took a moment or two (or five or six) for Mary to wrap her mind around all this; and it can be a challenge for us too. Like with Mary, the tears of this life may blind us for a moment to the joy that is standing right in front of us.
But also like Mary, when Jesus calls our name, we will know that it is him. And Jesus does call each one of us by name. He calls us to believe him, to follow him, and to the joy of knowing that he is alive!
Like Mary, every single one of us will recognize Jesus, and we will call him ‘teacher’ and ‘Lord’. And then, like Mary, Jesus calls us to share this good news; to be sent, as Mary was sent. “Tell your brothers. Tell your sisters. The last enemy is defeated. Death is dead!”
We share this testimony and this truth with anyone who bears the image of God. And so we say together this morning: The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! AMEN.
[1] Mary Hinkle Shore, https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/resurrection-of-our-lord-2/commentary-on-john-201-18-8
Preached at Carnegie United Methodist Church and Hill Top United Methodist Church, Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022
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