Where is he?

Scripture Luke 24:1-12  NRSV 

24 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen  6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8 Then they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

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He is Risen!

He is Risen!

He is Risen!

He is risen, indeed.

I started receiving Easter greetings yesterday afternoon when a friend in Australia said “Happy Easter! It is already Sunday here!”  As the dawn broke in country after country, Christians began greeting each other saying, “He is Risen!”   Churches everywhere were filled to capacity.  Well, most churches were.  The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris was empty, but other churches throughout the city welcomed those whose house of worship had burned.  Three historically Black Baptist churches in Landry Parish, Louisiana were empty because they had been burned to the ground, but those congregations celebrated the resurrection in other places today.    All of these Christians in Paris and Louisiana can sing God’s praises even in strange places today, for they know their Savior lives.  They know their buildings will rise again out of the ashes, their faith in God is unshaken.  

It might be different in Sri Lanka.  Catholic churches across Sri Lanka were filled to capacity when bombs went off this morning.   Eight bombs, targeting four churches and four hotels that cater to tourists, went off this morning.  At last count over 200 were killed, and nearly 500 were injured.   Seven people have been arrested.  The country is under curfew.  They really have no idea yet why this happened.   There may be some who were in those churches and those hotels who will be questioning God this morning.  They must be wondering why?  Why did this happen - today of all days?  They might find it difficult to sing God’s praises today.  They might find their faith is shaken.  

The women went to the tomb to clean and anoint the body of their rabbi, but he was gone.  Can you imagine?  On Friday they had watched Jesus die horribly on the cross.  In the afternoon, just before sunset, they watched him being put into the tomb.  They must have been traumatized.  They must have wondered why?  Why did this happen to him?  But even though traumatized and upset and worried about the future, in their hearts they knew they needed to do this one last thing for him.  So they went as soon as possible after the Sabbath ended to prepare his body as if he had not yet been entombed.  And they found the stone rolled back and the tomb empty and looked at each other asking, “Where is he?”  And men in dazzling clothes appeared and said to the women, to Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James, “Why look for the living among the dead?”   

You know, I kind of hate it when the news makes me toss everything I have been writing and preparing out the window on Sunday morning.  I had some good stuff written.  Easter sermons are hard enough, because this is seen as the Most Important Message of the year!  It is the one that will reach the most people and thus has the potential to make a difference in more lives than on a “normal” Sunday.   The Easter Sermon is kind of intimidating.  It is approached with fear and trembling.  Ok, maybe it’s not that bad.  But for weeks now preachers have been sharing thoughts and ideas with each other in our various chat rooms and internet groups.  

Some said that I must preach from a feminist perspective - because the women were the ones to carry the Good News but the disciples didn’t believe them because they were women.   I must say I was tempted in that direction - because my friend Danny Bradfield (pastor of Bixby Knolls Christian Church in Long Beach) says the coolest stuff.  If you have saw the posts on facebook that say things like “to be biblically authentic, all preaching on the resurrection should be done by women!”  then you may enjoy what he wrote.  “The women stayed with Jesus at his trial and crucifixion, the women didn't desert him, the women returned to anoint his body, the women discovered the empty tomb, and the women were the first to proclaim the resurrection. Even so, God doesn't just call women into ministry, but men, too, so this Sunday I'll do my best to preach an Easter sermon.”  This is especially funny when you realize that even today there are those who believe that women should not be preaching any where any time any way.  Period.  

Some said that I must preach truth to power and use this opportunity to talk about racism and homophobism and zenophobia.  I have even been told that I must not preach the resurrection because you all are here because you already believe in it.   But as you know, if you know me at all, I’m really not good at doing what other people tell me I must do.  I have to do what my heart and my conscience call me to do, what the Spirit tells me to do.  Those other things are important, but you know, I can preach those things any time.  And really, today my heart is with all those people whose Easter celebration has taken a beating.    

And not just those folks whose church buildings have been destroyed in Paris and Louisiana. Not just those who are literally looking for the living among the dead right now in Sri Lanka.  But all of the people who are facing terrible and difficult situations right now.  Like Karen, who is on her way to be with her sister who was diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer.  All of the people whose future is uncertain right now - who are waiting for a diagnosis, or looking for a job, or trying to figure out how to pay their bills, or having major issues in their families and relationships.  All of the people who struggle just to get through the day - whose depression or anxiety or PTSD or chronic pain or degenerative illness means that sometimes they have to deal with life one moment at a time.   People whose personal dark time may make it hard to see the light.

The truth of the resurrection is especially important on days when terrible things are happening.  The proof of Jesus’ humanity that we see in suffering and death is even more important when terrible things are happening.  Knowing that our Lord, our Savior, lives beyond the bounds of death is even more important on days when we aren’t sure where to turn.  When everything seems dark, we get to remember that after the very worst day ever, the women learn that something impossibly wonderful has happened.  Their Lord lives!  They might not understand how that might be, but they believe when the messengers they meet at the tomb tell them “He is not here, but has risen  Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.”   They remembered, and they believed and they told all the others.

The other week I talked about Easter people, whose focus is on the risen Christ, and Good Friday people whose focus is on the suffering and death of Jesus.  I’m sort of both, although I lean more toward being an Easter person.  The suffering and death is important and critical because without Jesus’ death there could be no resurrection.  But if there was no resurrection, his death would have had no meaning.  His followers would likely have disbanded and maybe looked for a new teacher.  His work would most likely have been forgotten. 

But from the moment that Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James discovered the empty tomb, from the moment that those two men in dazzling clothes greeted them and asked, “Why look for the living among the dead,” a new thing, a new reality had entered the world.  This man, who had been as human as every other human, who died like every other human dies, had been resurrected!  He hadn’t been taken up bodily into heaven without dying, like Elijah and maybe Moses.  He had died, a horrible, painful death.  They had witnessed it.  They saw him placed in the tomb.  And now he lived!  And they were the first to be told.  They were the first to declare the resurrection!  (Even if the men didn’t believe them.)  

After the worst possible day, the resurrection.  

After the darkness of Friday, the light returned to the world.  

After death, life eternal.  

In our own dark days, we remember the resurrection.   

We remember that there is a light that cannot be extinguished.  

And like the women who discovered the empty tomb, we proclaim the resurrection, whether or not anyone believes us.  

Because we know he is risen! 

We know he lives!