April 20, 2025 Resurrection of Our Lord The text is John 20:1-18.

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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 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, “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.

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May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, El Adonai, my rock and my Redeemer.

Grace, mercy, and peace are yours from God the Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!   Christ is risen, indeed. Alleluia!  This is the reason we gather together this day, isn’t it?  We come together on this Easter morning in joyous celebration that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Lord and Savior has risen from the grave.  Death has been defeated and his resurrection has secured for all who believe, forgiveness, salvation, and life eternal.  So, have a lovely Easter, enjoy your baked ham, and we’ll see each other next Sunday! 

The celebration of the Resurrection is wonderful and the unending joy we feel during this time is something to be delighted by.  But there is more to be done; Jesus tells Mary, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father”.  So, as triumphant as Christ’s rising from the grave is, it seems that there is more yet to be accomplished.  We’ll come back to this in a moment, but first I would like us to examine some of the secondary matters that pop up when reviewing how the Easter story unfolds within the four gospel accounts.  I always research Scripture when preparing a sermon, to ascertain if there are discrepancies within the gospels, and to determine if there are inconsistencies among these four writers and perhaps these are moderated in Paul’s letters.  And it turns out that there are several differences in the way the visit to the empty tomb on that first Easter morning is recorded.   

In all four of the gospels Mary Magdalene is the first person to whom Jesus appears.  In our reading from John this morning, she approaches the tomb alone; according to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, she is accompanied either by one additional woman or several others.  The stone has either already been rolled away from the opening or an angel appears and rolls it away after an earthquake happens.  Either a “young man” in dazzling white clothing is seen inside the tomb when Mary and the other woman arrive, or two men, assumed to be angels are already there.  Some accounts state that the women were overcome with fear and John tells us that Mary wept.  Depending upon the gospel writer, either the male apostles believed the women’s testimony that they found the tomb empty, or they didn’t; Luke goes so far as to write that the apostles found Mary’s story to be “nonsense” in Greek.

And, again depending on which version we read, there is either disbelief, fear, or both expressed by the disciples when they acknowledge that Jesus isn’t there in the tomb.  Perhaps they had forgotten what he told them about his rising on the third day or they simply found the entire situation too much to bear; was their teacher’s body stolen by some who thought to discredit Jesus’ message?

Often, when there are discrepancies or inconsistences found in Scripture, they may have some bearing on our understanding of what it is that we are being taught, what the writer wishes us to gain from the story.  But I submit to you that none of these trifling variations in the telling of Jesus’ resurrection matters one single bit.  For the only thing that concerns us is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, did, in fact rise from the grave on Easter morning.  Alleluia! Christ is risen!   Christ is risen, indeed. Alleluia! 

So, once we acknowledge that all that matters is that Jesus has risen, we now must consider how we respond to this momentous event.  The manner in which we react to this Good News defines our discipleship, our proclamation that we are followers of this risen Jesus Christ.  Is it enough that we come to church on Easter morning, shout out a couple of “Alleluia’s” and, like Peter and the other disciple simply “go home”?  It had better not be enough!  For, just as Jesus warned Mary not to hold on to him because he had not yet fully ascended to be with the Father, the work that remains to be done on the earth he left behind needs to be completed.  During the Last Supper Jesus gave his disciples and us a new commandment; that we love one another as he loves us.

And as Easter people, we most effectively obey this commandment by proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel to all those we encounter.  And this proclamation is most effectively declared through our servanthood; when we feed, clothe, or shelter people in need, we, like Mary announce to others that we also are witnesses to the resurrection.  Whenever we perform an act of service to our neighbor we express the love of Jesus to them; by loving them as he loves us.  Proclaiming the resurrection through servant love for others is how we show that we understand the true meaning of the empty tomb.  Alleluia! Christ is risen!   Christ is risen, indeed. Alleluia!      

And this commandment to serve others, expressed through the love of Christ, is what makes us disciples, and it is the work we are called to finish on his behalf.  But this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t first take the time to reflect on why it is that we are compelled to act as proclaimers, servants, and followers.  It is because the rising of Christ Jesus on Easter is the fulfilment of God’s promise; because Jesus has risen, we are granted the promised life eternal.  We are bestowed forgiveness, salvation, and returned to a righteous relationship with God.  So, on this Easter morning, let’s overlook the small distinctions in the way the gospel writers tell the story of Christ’s resurrection; let’s acknowledge the commandment to love and serve, but remember why we do these things.  Let’s not be overcome with grief as Mary first reacted to the empty tomb.  Let’s not simply peer at the folded grave clothes and return home, uncertain of what to make of these developments.  Instead, let’s allow ourselves to be enveloped in the love of God, as expressed through Christ’s rising from the grave.  Let’s just spend the morning overcome with joy, and wonder, and hope, and faith, and assurance; we can resume the work of servanthood tomorrow, or even later this afternoon.  But for now, it’s important that we allow ourselves to be overcome with gratitude, and rejoice that we have been granted faith to believe in the One who has defeated death, the One who brings us from death to life.  Alleluia! Christ is risen!   Christ is risen, indeed. Alleluia!

Will you pray with me?  Good, and gracious, and Holy God, we gather this day to rejoice that you keep your promises to your people.  You promised us a Savior to restore us to a right relationship with you.  You raised your Son this day to assure your people that we are granted eternal life by his sacrifice.  We assemble here to worship you and celebrate the Easter miracle; help us to always remain faithful to the promises of your Word.  And we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the One who on this day brings life to the world.  Amen. 

God is Good, all the time.  All the time, God is Good.  Amen.