Easter Message

JOHN 20:1-18 (NRSV) 1 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 ^F160 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, ^F161 "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.

The past week was quite a week in Iowa City. The weather was all Springtime; wonderfully warm, in the 70s and 80s; low humidity; clear skies. Everyone in town seemed to be in a great mood. Most every student that visited my university office wore shorts. All were smiling and in great spirits. One student left our meeting to play beach volleyball. Another was off to ride his bike for the afternoon. Still another planned on reading some assignments on a blanket by the Iowa River. I would be curious to know just how far he got in those chapters! All was good as Thursday evening approached, a traditional evening of socializing in the downtown area. What a great week it had been. That all changed on Thursday evening.

My sons and I were shooting basketball after supper when we noticed the sky was getting dark, far too quickly for the time of day. We headed inside for showers and to prepare the kids for bed. Well, you all know what happened. The rain came, the storms blew in, and the tornado sirens wailed. Off we went, like thousands in our city, to our “safe place,” in our case our basement. We waited it out with TV and computer radars helping us stay aware of the closeness of the storm. And how close it was. Tornado damage was found just ½ a mile from where we worship today. We saw this headling in the Press-Citizen (hold up Friday’s edition) STATE OF EMERGENCY. Students on the east side of downtown lost their residences, their possessions, school notes, most all they owned here. What had been a pleasant, wonderful week turned violent so quickly. Students who were secure in their studies and their college lives suddenly found their lives changed in a matter of moments.

One of the central characters of today’s Gospel reading- the Easter story – understood clearly what it meant to have one’s world turn upside down with suddenness. John 20 tells us that Mary Magdalene came to the tomb of Jesus early on what we would call a Sunday morning. Discovering Jesus’ body missing, she informed Peter and John, then returned to the tomb in tears. Mary was reliving a lifetime of disappointment and hopelessness.

Mary was from the city of Magdala. It was a village with a bad reputation, having a history of turning ou unsavory types. This was Mary’s home and her background. Not one that would impress those she met. It was also know that Mary had demons cast out of her. Demons could be what we think of in the traditional sense. Or it could be a modern understanding of “demons”; mental illness, character flaws, sinful living. Whatever, it is safe to say that Mary was not deemed a person of high character. Mary also carried with her the cultural bias of being a woman. Women in Jesus’ day were seen as subservient to men. Their lives were defined by their husband and by bearing children. There is not indication that Mary was married or a mother. She was at the lower end of the lowest group in society. Mary: from a bad town, with questionable character, and a lowly, single woman. Her life was one of no value to society. Hope was not to be found in Mary’s heart.

Then Mary encountered an itinerant preacher and teacher named Jesus. What he shared amazed Mary. How he taught – “as one with authority” – stirred her soul. How he carecd and healed drew her. And how he loved, transformed her. Mary hopelessness was replaced with joy, purpose, love. Jesus saw beyond her characteristics and roots and gender to the person she was. Mary was invited to participate in God’s Kingdom. Mary the lowly became Mary the kingdom citizen.

Then, with the same swiftness of our recent tornados, Mary source of hope vanished. In a matter of hours, Jesus went from teacher and friend, to criminal, executed, buried, sealed away in an earthen tomb. It all happened so fast – the events and the heartbreak. Mary saw her teacher, her guide, her source of strength taken away.

Many of us can relate to this kind of hearbreak. Certainly those who’ve faced a natural disaster like the one our city dealt with this week see their world change without warning. Others of us encounter broken relaionships, job termination, and health concerns. Unexpectedly, these crises break our spirit and cloud our life’s focus. Mary faced such a crossroads in her life.

Today’s scripture tells of Mary going to Jesus’ tomb on what would have been Sunday morning. Why was she making the visit? Jesus had spoken of his resurrection; of the temple being rebuilt in three days. But Mary approached the tomb in tears. For her, it seems as if she was seeking a final confirmation that the awful events had indeed happened. It’s much like the young man who breaks up with his longtime girlfreind. Even though the relationship seems over, he finds himself still riding by her home, maybe hoping she’ll notice, run to meet him, and all will be well. But her house just sits there with the door unopened. Mary needed a final verification of Jesus’ passing before going on with whatever life held.

Mary’s broken world, though, cracked just a little further. There was no sealed tomb. Instead, the tomb as open. Shocked by this development, she shared the news with Peter and “the disciple Jesus loved” who we assume to be John. They ran to the tomb, found no body but instead neataly folded burial cloths. John believed, and both ran back to the larger group of disciples. But Mary lingered, weeping as she took in the sight of an empty tomb. She could not believe that someone would take the body. How much further could her world collapse?

She then spotted someone she assumed was a gardner. Her depression and focus would not let her see who scripture says it was: the risen Jesus. After politely asking about her weeping, Jesus addressed his follower in a powerful and person way. Most translations add an exclamation point to Jesus one word reply: “Mary!”

It was like a splash of cold water on her face, an awakening in her heart and soul. All the fear, the uncertainty, the sense of loss, the despair, were pushed aside by the voice of one she loved, the one who gave her purpose. And she responsed as she would to the one who gave her instruction for life: “Teacher.” Mary’s eyes were opened to the bigger picture. The cross wasn’t the finale. The tomb was not the closed curtain. Jesus had defeated death and was alive again; alive forever; and Mary was to forever be a part of his Kingdom.

So often when we face our those moments of crisis, we find ourselves buried in guilt, saddness, pain, uncertainty. When we visitg the “tombs” of those signinficant moments and people, we can only see the brokenness. Yet, the Christ who conquered death, can help us conquer the pain of loss and gived us a hopeful future. That is, in a nutshell, the point of Easter. The sacrifice of Christ opens the door for renewed life as we place our faith in Him.

St. Patrick’s Catholic Church was one of the locations hardest hit by the tornados. The congregation has offered a strong testimony in the midst of Holy Week. It was evidenced by the headline in Saturday’s edition of the Press-Citizen: (Hold up paper) RESURRECETION. St. Pat’s is committed to rising from the rubble to renewal, modeled after their Lord who rose form the dead to offer personal renewal for all. What a witness to the story of Easter. He is risen, and that opens up all kinds of possibilities for renewal and hope. Resurrection – in a devastated community – in devastated lives – founded on the hope given all by Jesus Christ.