He is Alive!

How many of you came to church ready to celebrate?!  (raise hand) All of us! Right?  That’s why Easter is such an awesome day to worship…it’s all good news! for us…but what about originally?  This day didn’t start out bright and shiny.  It was dark and scary and sorrowful.  The disciples were hulled up in the upper room, scarred for their lives, full of sadness that Jesus was gone, bitterness and resentment that he didn’t do what they thought he would, and remorse and guilt that they hadn’t been better to him at the end.  It started out as an awful day…another day in the haze of grief where it still hardly feels real.  That’s where the disciples started, so that’s where we will start our story today.  

It was still dark when Mary left for Jesus’ tomb. We don’t know exactly why she was up in the darkness of night before the sun was even peaking over the horizon—maybe unable to sleep, maybe fighting nightmares reliving her friend’s murder, maybe sick to her stomach over all of it, or exhausted from tears but unable to find enough calm to sleep.  Maybe instead of tossing and turning any longer, she goes to the tomb to spend a little time with Jesus in the quiet.  Sure, he wouldn’t really be there…but she could touch his body…hold his hand, find some solace that she was near him in some kind of way.  Mary is like a lot of us, she can’t move on or hurry through her grief, she has to sit in it.  It may be hard or uncomfortable, but something is better than nothing. Memories are better than not having known him at all.  Touching his cold hand would be better than grasping at the air or relieving that awful nightmare of watching him suffer and die. 

Only, when she gets to the tomb, and sees the stone rolled away. The story doesn’t tell us she got close enough to look inside—only that she saw that stone had been moved and, of course, she knew what had happened. She didn’t have to see the empty tomb to know he wasn’t there.  The guards were gone. The stone was moved—someone had stolen Jesus.  She’d have to figure out where they took him.

Mary was heartbroken, devastated that her friend was gone. She went to say goodbye again—to be near him in some way—yearning for just a few moments—maybe she wanted to share her heart, or rail against the cowards that did this to him, or just be together. Only he wasn’t there.  How any of it could be real, and now, as if could get any worse, his body was gone. Who would do that? Couldn’t they offer any kind of mercy?  But why would they? They ordered the death of an innocent man, beat him nearly to death, mocked him, scorned him, and then hung him on a cross to die. There was no mercy in life—why on earth would she expect there to be mercy in death? Wretched cowards have stolen his body—but why?  and more importantly, where?!  Where did they take him? And how could she get him back?  There’s no way she could carry him alone.  

So she got the others.  No sooner had she said the words, “he’s missing and I don’t know here they took him.” that Simon Peter and the beloved took off running.  She knew they could help so she followed them back.  The beloved had been at the cross until the end—he took with Jesus’ mother, Mary magdalene and the other Mary and then watched as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea laid him in the tomb.  The beloved knew where Jesus would be—at least where he should be—where they laid him, and so he led the way to the tomb.  

Only when they got there, he couldn't go in. He could see the burial clothes in a heap, but he couldn’t quite face the rest.  But Peter had to go in—he hadn’t seen it yet—he hadn’t had to face Jesus’ limp body lying there in the tomb—so he went in—he had to see for himself. But Jesus wasn't there—-only the heap of burial clothes and then the face shroud—all neat and tidy.  Had Jesus even been there? Was this the right tomb?  They were sure he’d died, right?  They said they saw him take his final breath—that they’d helped get him to Joseph’s tomb.  It was real, so where was Jesus now?  Mary must have been right—they moved him. But where?  How would the disciples even find him?  Who could help them? They’d have to go back to the others—-they’d need their help.  They’d have to spread out and ask for help. But how would he convince them to get out. They’d all been so scared—unsure if they’d be the next one crucified.  They hadn’t left the upper room since it happened—not until Mary said Jesus’ body was missing. But they’d have to risk it. They couldn’t just let him lie….wherever….they’d need to find him and soon…but how?  

Mary saw the men leave the tomb. She heard them say they’d need the others, but she wasn’t ready to go with them.  She hadn’t slept in nearly two days and she just needed a minute to be where he was. So she walked over to the tomb, expecting to just go and sit and probably cry some more. Only it wasn’t what she expected.  There were 2 angels there, right where they’d lain Jesus/  Maybe they would know something—-they asked her why she was crying—because Jesus was here and now he’s not and she didn’t know where they had taken him.  Or how the others would find him. And before they could answer a man appeared—maybe he knew—maybe he’d seen something or someone and he asked the same question…why are you crying?  Do you know? Did you see something? Please tell me. I just need to find him. I won’t bother you further if you just tell me where he is.  

Mary.

Rabboni!!!  It was him. Really him!  How did she not recognize him?  But it’s him—he’s here! Thank God!! and he’s alive.  He’s alive?!  You’re alive! He’s alive!!  That’s why you weren’t here, you’re alive!! But how  When?  What happened?  How is it even possible?!

Jesus is alive!!!

That’s the good news we celebrate today. That in the midst of our grief, our fear, and our confusion, Jesus lives.  We may be convinced of all the awful things—that darkness wins, that liars, murderers and power players rule the land…but Jesus says no…he wins. He lives. 

He’s greater than sin and death and murder and betrayal.  He’s greater than fear and doubt and all the worst things we do to one another.  He lives.  We’re doubters. We’re skeptics. We struggle to believe. But he’s there to prove us wrong.  He is alive!!  He is risen from the dead and he’s alive.  Hallelujah!

The Easter Message Matters

Matthew 27:1-5 (TLB)

When it was morning, the chief priests and Jewish leaders met again to discuss how to induce the Roman government to sentence Jesus to death.  Then they sent him in chains to Pilate, the Roman governor.

About that time Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that Jesus had been condemned to die, changed his mind and deeply regretted what he had done, and brought back the money to the chief priests and other Jewish leaders.

“I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”

“That’s your problem,” they retorted.

Then he threw the money onto the floor of the Temple and went out and hanged himself.

Judas hit a pretty deep low…he betrayed Jesus…for whatever reason…because he was greedy?  Because he doubted Jesus would do what he said he would? Because he was tempted? Who knows…what we do know is that Judas betrayed Jesus and would forever be known as a traitor of the worst kind.  And after he did it…the reality kicked in. He did the wrong thing and he knew it.  He wanted to take it back, to fix it, to un do what he had done, but at that point, Jesus had been arrested and was condemned to death…what was done was done. There was no changing it.  He couldn’t undo the past and he likely knew he wouldn’t easily be forgiven.  And even if he moved to tim-buk-no-where to form a new life where no one knew him, this remained true: he knew what he had done.  He would have that knowledge for life.  So, he did what he knew to do, he went to repent. He offered the money back. He acknowledged his sin and he tried to make it right. And the high priests told him, “sorry, can’t help you.” 

And the pain and shame of it all was too much for him to bear.  Judas couldn’t take it.  So he threw the money at their feet and he took his own life.  Judas was overcome with guilt, and shame, and darkness.  And the saddest part is he never got to see or hear the end of the story. Judas never heard the good news—his actions, even his sins, didn’t have the final word.  Yes, Jesus died, but he also resurrected.  Even his worst action wasn’t able to overcome God’s action in the world.  Do you ever imagine how things might have been different for Judas if he had waited, if he could have seen that God was greater than the worst that anyone had to offer.  God wasn’t just greater than Judas and his betrayal, but Peter and his denial, Pilate and his complacency, the Sadduccees and Pharisees and their hypocrisy and lies, the people and their mob mentality, the beatings, the mocking, the humiliation…God overcame all of that. 

But Judas never knew. Judas never heard the good news.

Judas is the name we know.  Even if we don’t know the Bible story, we often know the name of Judas and know he wasn’t a good guy.  But apart from the individual man, there are a whole lot of people who are like Judas.  There are a whole lot of sinners—and generally, we, too, stand among them.  Any sinners in the room today?  Ok, so maybe you didn’t betray Jesus…but maybe you have lied, you’ve been greedy, you’ve lusted, you’ve been selfish, you’ve turned away from those in need, you’ve judged others…anyone? 

​            Yeah, confession isn’t much fun, is it?  It’s always easier to look at someone else’s sin than to look at our own, so let’s talk about someone else for another minute.

How many of you follow basketball? And how many of you heard about what happened with D'angelo Russell & Nick Young?  Well, in case you didn't, both men play for the Lakers. D'angelo is an up & coming player and he's young.  And, he decided it’d be a good idea to video a conversation with Nick Young about Nick’s scandals and secrets and "somehow" the video got out.  It's been all over the news and if you've been watching you know things are not good for Russell...his teammates don't want to play with him, they don't want to share the locker room, they don't want to pass him the ball...by some accounts his disloyalty, immaturity, and lack of integrity indicate he should just turn in his jersey because there is no redeeming his situation--ever.

Now you might consider it a stretch because Young isn't the Messiah, but the weight of Russell's situation and Judas' are not far off. They were both part of a tight knit team, they both broke the rules of acceptability for their own personal gain, they did something they couldn't undo, others told them they are stuck to live with their consequences, and by most accounts they should just throw in the towel. Now Russell hasn’t hit the darkness like Judas did, at least not in a way that’s been reported. But I’m sure this week has been pretty rough.  

Now the danger doesn't just lie for the D'angelo Russells or the Judases of the world.  The danger lurks for each of us because the threat of darkness comes not just when we sin but when life happens--when it turns us on our heads. ..when we get the dreaded diagnosis, when we can't eek out any more love in our marriage, when we come to loathe our work,  when our kids break our hearts, when we fall into old bad habits, when we can't pay the rent,  when there's not enough money for the month,  when the abusers and manipulators in our lives keep getting their way. ..all kinds of circumstances can threaten to overtake us.  They tell us it'll never get better.  They tell us there's no hope. There's no redemption.  There's no chance.  Why bother? Just throw in the towel.  Give up!

That's what THEY say. But that’s the verdict before the cross.  But here's the thing. ..none of those things get the final word. ..you know who does? Jesus! Because he lived and died and rose again. Jesus faced the worst. He lived through all the horrible rotten things that happen in this world and he came out on the other side victorious. And he did all that, not for his own sake, but for ours. So that when we face all the horrible awful things life has to offer—by our hand or by someone else’s—we can still find hope and redemption. 

That's the power of the Gospel. ..that's why we need the Easter story...because life and struggles and sins all threaten to do us in but God interrupts,  God intervenes and says "I have the last word and the last word is life!  It's victory!  It's hope!"

Let’s listen to Romans 5 again.

Romans 5:6-11 (TLB)
 When we were utterly helpless, with no way of escape, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners who had no use for him.  Even if we were good, we really wouldn’t expect anyone to die for us, though, of course, that might be barely possible. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since by his blood he did all this for us as sinners, how much more will he do for us now that he has declared us not guilty? Now he will save us from all of God’s wrath to come.  And since, when we were his enemies, we were brought back to God by the death of his Son, what blessings he must have for us now that we are his friends and he is living within us!
Now we rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God—all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done in dying for our sins—making us friends of God.

Do you hear it?  The truth?  The promise?  The hope? While we were still sinners…still stuck in OUR ways, not doing it God’s way, Christ died for us. While we were still getting it wrong, not even close to getting it right, Christ died for us. Most people would question whether or not they were willing to die for a good person…a faithful person, a righteous person who has helped them, but Jesus went and died for all the fools, the folks who jumped ship, the folks who beat him and hurt him unjustly. He died for the ones who betrayed him. And he died for all of us. And since he did that for us when we didn’t even deserve it and through him we are absolved of our sin. We get a new beginning. We get a second chance.  We get forgiveness and grace and mercy.  AND we get even greater blessings.  And those blessings can blow our minds, because they come to us not as Christ’s enemies, but as his friends.  If he was willing to die for us while we were acting like enemies, imagine how much more he would do for us as his friends.  

I don't know D'Angelo, or any Laker for that matter, but I wish I could talk to him and tell him, "This may have been a stupid thing, a foolish thing to do, but it doesn't have to define you forever.  It doesn't have to have the final word.  Because of Christ and his victory over sin and death, HE gets the final word.  He calls us forgiven, redeemed and worthy.  Sure, the world will try and hold onto this. The people around you will call you names and tell you a different story, but you don't have to let them define you. You can choose to claim your identity in Christ instead.   

And the reality is, we all have that chance, we all have the opportunity to push back on the labels and stigmas of the world and instead say we are defined by something and someone much greater.  We are defined by the Risen Christ. And that is news worth sharing.

 Amen.

A Glimpse at the Possibilities

I would venture, most of us come to Easter services expecting to celebrate the risen Christ.  We shout Hosanna and sing Hallelujah because Jesus conquered death and offers us eternal life.  And if things are good, that celebrating is fairly easy to do.  But what do we do when we are desperate for the hope and joy and good news of Easter and yet on Easter morning, it still feels as dark and bleak and hopeless as Good Friday?

How is Easter present when we still don’t have a job?  Or our pain won’t go away? Or the bank balance is still $0? Or the depression hasn’t lifted?  Or our heart still breaks? Or the cancer is still spreading?  Or your spouse’s betrayal still stings? Or your loved one’s addiction keeps wrecking havoc?  Or your grief still steals your breath away?

How do we celebrate then?  How do we muster the faith or the confidence or even the energy to praise God for what God has done, when that reality—the Resurrection story—couldn’t seem further from us?

Last night, I learned that my friends’ 1 -day old baby girl wasn’t strong enough to live.  And their loss broke my heart.  As I imagined their pain, I wondered how they would face Easter.  Would they hull up together and avoid the Hallelujahs or would they dare seek a worship service where the Gospel of hope and new life would stand starkly against their pain?  No matter how strong one’s faith in the resurrection, the promise of eternal life cannot take the place of cherishing those moments with your long awaited baby girl.  So, I wonder, what can Easter mean to them?  To me, it begs the question, how does Easter become real to any of us in the midst of true trial and pain?

I suppose, to answer that, we need to start somewhere.  So, we start in the Gospel of Luke with today’s lesson.  Maybe we can find truth, or hope, or comfort in the lives of the women or the apostles. 

Think about it this way, the women were followers of Christ. They had journeyed with him during his ministry. They had served him and been served by him. They had witnessed miracles and listened to the parables. They had heard his prophecies and been faithful to the end. They were there at the crucifixion and grieved him in the wake of his death. They wanted to honor him and do right by him, so they gathered the spices and got everything ready so they could prepare his body after the Sabbath was over and he was declared officially dead. 

They went to the tomb to anoint his body—his dead body.  They expected to do the normal burial rites and when they got there, Jesus’ body was gone. That wasn’t good news. Someone must have stolen the body and so they stand there wondering what happened? Where could the body have gone?  And then 2 angels—men dressed in dazzling white, clearly God’s messengers, appeared. And the women didn’t rejoice. They didn’t start to celebrate. They were terrified.  They fell to the ground in reverence and waited with fear and trembling for the message God had for them.  And what they heard was, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen.” 

Wait. What?!  The living among the dead?  What are you talking about?  Jesus died.  We were there. He breathed his last. Then they laid him here. You must be mistaken. Our Jesus is dead. 

But the angels persisted.  Don’t you remember?  Jesus told you about this. Think back to Galilee.  He said the Son of Man would be handed over to sinners and crucified.  But on the third day he’d rise again.  Don’t you remember?

Then a wash of understanding as the pieces slowly fall into place.  Galilee.  Son of Man. Handed over. Crucified.  Yeah, we remember all of that.  After all, it came true.  We watched it happen.  But on the 3^rd day, he’d rise again.  On the third day, he’d rise again.  He’d rise again. He’s risen?!  He’s risen!  He rose again.  On the third day he rose again!

And as the story finally makes sense, the women run to the apostles and tell them the story. And they’re incredulous.  Not excited. Not overjoyed. Incredulous. The apostles think the women have to be lying.  They’ve lost their minds.  The accusation in Greek is that they’re delirious.  They’re nuts.  That’s what the disciples think. 

And their doubt makes sense to us.  I mean who would believe all of that?  It’s like believing a miracle.  And yet, despite their doubt, or maybe to satisfy it—Peter runs off to the tomb. He has to see for himself.  He either has to prove they’re lying or he has to reach out to touch the truth of the empty tomb for himself.  And off he goes. Only to find the tomb IS empty. Jesus is not there.  But Peter doesn’t leap on a bandwagon of Alleluias or start declaring, “Christ is Risen!” He’s amazed. He’s awestruck.  And he walks away. 

It feels a bit anti-climatic, especially compared with some of the other Gospel accounts, but maybe this one is just the one we need today.  Maybe as we confront pain and anger and failures and brokenness and dead-ends in our own lives, we need to see that the Easter story doesn’t wrap up with sunshine and rainbows.  The Easter story ends with reticence and doubt and confusion tied up with fear and awe.  For the disciples in this story, they don’t see Jesus.  They don’t stand face to face with the fullness of God’s promises. Instead, they stand face to face with the possibility that God has done something.  It’s been suggested by some decently reliable witnesses, but it hasn’t been confirmed.  The possibility of something good, at the very least, allows hope to begin to seep into the story.  It may not be hearty or shining or bright, but it’s there. Hope is there. It offers a spark in the midst of the darkness. 

Where the women and the disciples faced only pain and despair and grief, God offered a glimpse of something better.  God didn’t bowl them over with right answers, and winning lottery numbers, or repentant wrong-doers.  Instead, God silently crept into their story casting a glimmer of light on their shadowy doubts and dark corners. 

Maybe the Good News today isn’t loud and over-stated, but instead subtle, sometimes barely noticeable.  Maybe the Good News today is that we don’t have to pretend that Easter fixes everything that’s wrong in the world and in our lives.  Maybe instead, Easter means that God offers glimpses of hope in the midst of our trials.  Maybe we do leave still seeking a job, or waiting for the test results, or trying to work through the heartache, or resenting our co-worker, or pushing back against the darkness. But hopefully in the midst of those challenges, we can begin to see the tiny shimmers of Easter light.  Maybe we begin to believe the possibility that God will do something to help us. Maybe hope allows us to breathe just a little more easily with a little less worry and a little more conviction that God has not and will not forsake us.  Maybe today we will stand with the disciples and the women and at least begin to question if God isn’t rewriting our story, even beyond the believable.  Amen.