Rise Up and GO! Easter 2007 Sermon John 20:1-18

Dear God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and feet and work through them; take our lips and speak through them, take our hearts and set them on fire for you. Amen

It was chilly that morning with Mary step out from the place where the disciples had been hiding. She wrapped herself up for two reasons one to keep warm and two so that she might not be recognized as she went to the tomb. The streets were almost deserted, no one was stirring much at that hour. She walked quickly through the streets and alleys of Jerusalem until she came out of the gate and down to the garden where Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had laid Jesus three days earlier. As she walked she heard the chirping birds that were just waking before the sunrise in order to gather food for the morning. The grass was wet with dew and dampened her feet and the hem of her garment has she walked through the garden. Her face was also wet with the tears of sorrow; it had been that way since Friday afternoon when she stood in vigil at the foot of the cross. All of this description is not in the Gospel of John but in my mind’s eye this is the way I think it happened. The only description of that morning given by John was that it was dark, before the break of day.

It was still dark that morning just like it was dark that Friday afternoon, while the Son of God suffered on the Cross. The description of darkness by John is not an accident, but is continuous throughout the Gospel of John. Remember Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus, he had told Nicodemus that those who do evil dwell in the darkness because they do not want their actions seen by everyone. So this morning, while it was still dark evil though it still had the upper hand. It was dark outside, but it was darker in the heart of Mary Magdalene she was broken, grieving, he hope had been lost, she did not know what else to do so she came to the tomb to grieve. And when she thought that things could not get any worse, she saw the empty tomb. “Oh no” she thought, “They have desecrated his tomb and stolen his body.” Why couldn’t they just leave us alone, they beat and tortured him, they nailed him to a cross but that wasn’t enough they had to remove his body, they couldn’t let him rest in peace?

Have you ever been in a dark place? A place where there seems to be no light at all not even the faintest glimmer of light. A place in your life where doesn’t seem to be the slightest chance of hope, not the slightest chance that things will get better, no way that you were going to make it out. You might have been laid off from work with a stack of bills a mile high, you or a loved one might have been diagnosed with a disease; you might have even been in the valley of the shadow of Death standing at the grave of a close friend of family member. In what ever way it came the world seems to be closing in around you, the walls of your life shrinking around you and the darkest of evils are swimming about you. If you have been there then you know what Mary must have been feeling like.

She runs off to tell the others, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” I don’t know what the other disciples were thinking, they might have thought she was crazy with grief, others might have been in that same dark place. Peter and John ran to the garden. John was a younger and faster than Peter and so he got to the tomb first and he found out it was true, the tomb was empty. John didn’t know what to think about this and does not go in; when Peter gets there he immediately walks into the tomb. He sees the grave clothes neatly separated and folded at the head and foot of the tomb. In the Gospel of John, John claims that he immediately when in after Peter and saw and believed. Now this might be a case of the author patting himself of the back because he seems to be the only one at this point to believe that Jesus has been resurrected. Whatever the case John and Peter leave, but Mary stays behind. Perhaps she so gripped by grief that she could not move, perhaps she thought for a moment that it might actually be true.

After John and Peter had left she hears a rustle of the grass behind her and sees a man standing there, she thinks it is the gardener and says if you have taken him somewhere let me know and I will go and get him, and she does not recognize Jesus. She does not recognize him, until she speaks her name. Mary! The voice was so sweet that it broke the bitterness of grief. That voice was so sweet that it brought the light and drove away the darkness forever. That voice was so sweet that her heart that had been so heavy with sadness began to become lighter than air filled with Joy. That voice was so sweet that it could only be one person…it was Jesus.

Have you ever heard the voice of Jesus calling your name? You might be in that dark place we talked about a few minutes, you might be without any hope ready to break and then you hear that voice…Brad…Angie…Marvin…Linda…Patsy…and you hear that voice and the world that was once crushing you is moved away and you are blinded by the light of glory, the light of truth, the light of grace, the light of God. You might want to just jump up and shout with joy that Jesus has come. Jesus might tell you that whatever dark place you’ve been in, he’s been in a darker one, whatever pain you have he has felt it, however you have been forsaken by friends and family, he had been denied and felt abandoned by God, whatever you do or wherever you go the resurrected Christ has come and conquered death, hell, and the grave and there is nothing that can defeat him.

Mary then runs to Jesus and grabs hold of him, giving the term bear hug a whole new meaning. She is so happy and she simply wants to remain in that moment forever. She didn’t want to leave, she didn’t want to move on she wanted to be lost in this moment. Sometimes we get lost in the moments of life and we become complacent in our faith. We just want to go to church, come home, and do it all again next Sunday. Jesus is quickly to stop her though. He says “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father…” He then gives her the key word in this story “GO”. He say I know you want to stay here, but your work is not finished. He sends her out as the first evangelist of the Gospel.

This is a very strange occurrence for this time in history, a woman was the privileged first one to see Jesus raised and a woman was the first sent to proclaim the good news that he was resurrected. This is strange because women in the time of Jesus were very low on the societal ladder. Women were meant to be seen and not heard and where certainly not considered worthy to proclaim such an important message. Jesus changes that notion and sends Mary out to tell the others. He could have appeared to John or Peter but he chose Mary. Why? In order to demonstrate that all persons, male, female, black, white, fat, thin, short, tall, whatever can proclaim the good news of Christ. Jesus calls ALL of his followers not to become complacent in the moment, but to GO OUT and proclaim the good news. We do not have any excuse not to; we can’t say “well I’m not fit to do it”. Remember that God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. He is saying to us this morning to GO OUT and proclaim the good news. She had to tell the good news of Christ’s resurrection and so must we. We cannot stay hold up in the church or leave out faith just for Sundays we have to GO OUT everyday and tell the world that He is Risen.

Jesus concludes his words to Mary by saying that he is ascending to “my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” In these words lies the true good news of the Resurrection. It is not just that Christ was brought back from the dead, but that through his death and through his resurrection we are brought back into community with God. We do not need a priest to intercede for us; we can have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. God is no longer distant or unapproachable he is My God and My Father our relationship is personal through the power of the Resurrection we are one in Christ and one in God. The Lamb of God is resurrected and all God’s children are redeemed.

This is the Good News, the Gospel. We have to do more than just sit on our hands and listen to a preacher preach we have to GO OUT AND TELL SOMEBODY. GO OUT AND TELL SOMEBODY that the Christ who was slain on Friday afternoon is Risen forever. GO OUT AND TELL SOMEBODY that we are reconciled to God through the blood of the Lamb. GO OUT AND TELL SOMEBODY that Death has been swallowed up in Victory. O Death where is your victory? O Death where is your sting? It is gone thanks to Jesus Christ. GO OUT AND TELL SOMEBODY that your God reigns forever and ever GO OUT AND TELL SOMEBODY that we have hope as sure and steady as the rocky mountain. Go out and tell somebody that He’s Alive and we are forgiven. And all God’s children said AMEN.

Let us pray…

Grant, O Lord,

that what has been said with our lips we may believe in our hearts,

and that what we believe in our hearts we may practice in our lives;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.