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SERMONS

The Day of Resurrection: Easter Day
April 20, 2003

It was the women who found out first, the women who were the first witnesses. As soon as they could, once the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome went to the tomb to anoint his body, and to grieve. This really was all that they had left: a body, dead and buried.

The man they had followed for the past three years was gone, the movement that had grown up around him had evaporated, his closest associates had all run away and were now hiding in fear for there lives. It was over. There was nothing left after three years of joy and hope and exhilaration; nothing left but dust and ashes and grief and regret and this dead body lying in a tomb. They went there, we can assume, because they had nowhere else to go.

When they arrived there they were surprised to see the stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb. Inside they found a young man. His first words, not surprisingly, were "Do not be alarmed." Then he gave them his astonishing news. They had arrived too late. They had come to the tomb to be near the dead body of Jesus, but Jesus was no longer there. He had been raised from the dead. Already he was gone. He was going ahead of them to Galilee, just as he had told them. They would find him there.

And off they went, their dreadful fear of what had been lost replaced by a joyful fear at the wondrous news they were carrying. They had brought their pain and sorrow and fear and loss to the tomb. And they had been forced to drop them there, drop them there so that they could hurry all the faster to follow the one who was already going before them.

What they learned that morning is what the people of Israel, in bondage in Egypt, had learned centuries before. God goes ahead of us. It was God who led them out of their bondage into freedom. It was God who led them through the waters of the Red Sea. It was God who led them through the wilderness, in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. It was God who led them across the Jordan River into the promised land.

What they learned that morning is what we were reminded of last night and will be reminded of again this afternoon. Our Lord leads us in the waters of baptism through our death to sin and into new life in the kingdom of God.

What they learned on that Easter morning is that Jesus goes ahead of us. Jesus is not locked up in a tomb. God is not in the historic past, locked up in ancient times or in ancient formularies or in ancient buildings. Nor is God locked up in our personal past, with our failures, our youth, our wasted opportunities, our idealism, our dead family and friends.

No, Jesus is ahead of us-in our future-as the one who will forgive sins, free prisoners, heal the sick, feed the hungry, make peace, wash our feet, raise the dead.

Jesus waits for us up ahead. Jesus calls us to drop our fears, our failures, our sorrows, our hurts, our sins-to drop them there at the door of the empty tomb. The past is truly past. The future is truly open and filled with new life and with joy and with possibility.

Jesus-God-waits for us up ahead; waits for us to get moving, waits for us to catch up with what God is doing. Life is forever changed. We cannot cling to the past. The best lies ahead.

Hurry now, already he goes before us.

Rejoice and sing now, all the round earth, bright with a glorious splendor, for darkness has been vanquished by our eternal King.

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.

David Christian
The Chapel of the Cross
Madison, Mississippi

Matthew 16:1-8