North Shore Congregational Church March 23, 2008

The Rev. Karl D. Schimpf Easter Sunday

Old Testament Lesson: Psalm 118:14-24

New Testament Lesson: Matthew 28:1-10

Around the world today sanctuaries are packed with people celebrating Easter; at least in places where they don’t have to fight snow storms. Let me begin with an obvious comment: Easter sure is early this year! I received an e-mail regarding this that reminds us that the date for Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. The date is based on the lunar calendar that the Jewish people use to identify Passover which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. The fact is that Easter could actually be one day earlier than it is this year; but this is the earliest it will ever be for the rest of our lives according to this e-mail. If that information is correct, the last time it was this early was 1913 and the next time Easter will be this early is 220 years from now, in the year 2228.

For me, writing an Easter sermon is the most difficult sermon of the year. As Julian of Norwich wrote about Easter, "Words fail me, and my heart dances!" It’s my favorite day of the year; and though some things which take place annually tend to loose their significance over time, Easter gives us the opportunity to reflect once again on this astounding story of God’s greatest revelation; one that put "fear and great joy" into the hearts of those first followers of Jesus Christ.

I have chosen to use Matthew’s version of the Easter discovery because it reminds us of the central role of women during the ministry of Jesus. Women were present with him during his life, during the dark moments of crucifixion and death, and in the first moments of new life after the resurrection. Matthew tells us that there were two Marys: Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James; and it was these two who were the first to worship the risen Jesus and be commissioned by him to carry the news to the others. It was these two Marys who crossed the border, left the old world where hope is in constant danger, where might makes right, where peace has little chance, where dead people stay dead; and entered a startling new world of resurrection and life. That the two Marys are chosen to be the first to announce the resurrection speaks both to their strength of faith and to the nature of our God. It reminds us that part of the mission of Jesus was to break down the barriers that divide humanity, including barriers of gender. On Easter morning, God pulled aside the curtain and let these two women have the first peek.

Matthew alone tells us that there was an earthquake as an angel broke the sound barrier coming down from heaven, moved the stone aside, and took a seat on top of it. This is Matthew’s way of saying that something of ultimate importance is taking place here. He furthermore portrays this dazzling heavenly messenger as flashing like lightning and when I try to imagine what his voice must have been like, my mind conjures up a combination of Charlton Heston, James Earl Jones, and Burl Ives all rolled into one!

Matthew is the one to tell us that guards had been posted to prevent any theft and also to say that these guards were rendered lifeless by the occasion. This seems a nice touch of role reversal where the ones alive become like dead men; while the dead man rises to new life. Matthew wants us to know that this was not resuscitation like the raising of Lazarus. The stone is not rolled away so that Jesus can come out; as far as we know, he’s already out! Jesus is gone before the stone gets pushed to the side. The stone is rolled away so the women, followed by some of the men, can go in! It is open to show the women that while the grave clothes are still there, there is no corpse that needs to be wrapped with them. Clearly this event is the greatest revelation of God.

Twice in this short account we see the command, "Do not be afraid." The message of Easter is one that says to all of us, "You no longer need to be afraid of anything, including and especially death." What a message that is in an age when fear runs rampant! It is possible in our day for people to be so afraid that they are unwilling to risk commitment or intimacy, so afraid that they are unwilling to try anything new, risk reaching out, or dare to express themselves. Fear has its place, but most of the time fear can paralyze us. Easter reminds us, to use Sue LeFeber’s words, "the Lamb wins" and knowing how things end helps us deal with what comes in between.

Easter says to us that we need not fear the past, things we have said or done, as if every decision we have ever made will come back to haunt us. The prophet Isaiah says, "Though our sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow (Isaiah 1:8)." We are forgiven and this, the greatest revelation of God, tells us that is so.

What this means then since we don’t need to be concerned about what is past, we can face the present and look toward the future with new confidence. Easter assures us that we don’t face the present or the future in our own strength. Our strength may be weak, but God is without equal. Easter says to us that when we trust in the one who has risen from the grave, we no longer face any challenges alone. Our Lord has promised that nothing will separate us from His love and that in all the things we face, He is at work in our lives for the good as we focus not on our ability but His. Proverbs says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."

My experience is that the meaning of the resurrection story can break into our lives in many unexpected ways. The meaning of Easter is that we are meant to live as a people seized by a hope that is in Christ. Our lives are to be a testament to the presence of God among us; and while there are times when we may choose to distance ourselves from God, God is as close to us as a prayer in our hearts. Easter calls us to celebrate the message of God’s power over evil and our capacity to confront evil in ourselves and in our world through daily acts of private and public piety and service to the common good. Easter, the greatest revelation of God, ought to encourage us to believe that life can be lived with joy. The text says that these women left the tomb with fear (in the sense of awe) and great joy. The mood of this text seems to imply that their joy was greater than their fear. This day is meant to give us hope when we face the broken and unreconciled pieces of our lives because it invites us to believe and be open to the many ways in which God reveals Godself and God’s power to us.

The tomb of Jesus is open. What about the tombs that threaten to enclose us? Are we imprisoned by some sin, enslaved by some resentment, worried about something so that every day contains shadows of darkness? On this day, when we celebrate the greatest revelation of God, may God roll away any stone of guilt with pardoning grace; any stone of resentment with power to love and care again; any stone of discouragement with strength that comforts us when we feel faint. There is joy in believing what the resurrection promises. In the words of the hymn: Because He lives, we can face tomorrow (W. Gaither)! Let us sing a song of celebration to the glory of His name!

Happy Easter! Amen!