Easter Celebration 2022

Introduction

Years ago, there was a television show starring Art Linkletter where he asked children questions. He had a way with kids, and the answers they gave were often hilarious. In one particular episode, he was asking them about their favorite Bible stories. One little boy had all the details. His favorite story was the story of Jesus’ resurrection. He said that Jesus had been hung on a cross. He had died. He was buried in a cave. He was in there for three days. I mean, he had the story down. He knew all the right words like “crucifixion” and “resurrection.” And then, he said that on the third day, Jesus rose up from the dead and came out of the tomb…but when he saw his shadow…he went back inside! Somewhere, somehow, he had gotten his story a bit confused. But, people who are much older than that little boy, and should have a clearer understanding of the day sometimes get confused about the story and its meaning for our lives today. What is it that we celebrate today? Why are we here? What difference does it make in our lives?

The resurrection is THE defining moment of the Christian faith. Our entire faith revolves around it. I believe that the Christian faith would fall like a house of cards if it were not for the resurrection. Every Sunday we celebrate the resurrection. We are clearly more focused on it on Easter Sunday, but EVERY Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection. The whole reason we gather together on Sundays is because of the resurrection. It’s supposed to serve as a reminder each and every week of the power of resurrection. It’s the reason that, even during Lent, the Sundays are not part of lent - they are the Sundays in the season of lent, but we take a break from the season of lent every Sunday during those days in order to celebrate! Resurrection day is so important that we spend weeks preparing for it through the season of Lent. The scent of Easter lilies fills the air. Every year, when I was growing up, there were a few times a year that we would go clothes shopping - back to school and Easter were the two most prominent times. We celebrate with food and shouts of “He is risen!” with the response “He is risen indeed!” This morning, we even changed our start time of our service and added a service at 8:00 and our breakfast together. It is a great day of celebration. Jesus is alive! Sin and death have been defeated.

But it would be a mistake to view this resurrection day as a one-time act that we observe and celebrate because the power of the resurrection isn’t just that Jesus was raised from the dead but also that the power of resurrection was unleashed upon the world. We can live in the power of the resurrection each and every day, we can share the power of the resurrection in a world plagued by sin and death, and we long for the someday resurrection of the dead. We rejoice that Jesus was raised, but we also rejoice that we too are continually being brought to life. This is why baptisms are often celebrated on Easter—because, when we are baptized, we are united to the death and resurrection of Jesus. As the people of God, we are a resurrection people.

John 20:1-18 Body

John 20:1–18 NRSV

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.

The Garden

Mary is so filled with grief that, when she encounters Jesus, she believes him to be a gardener. It is interesting to note that sin entered in to the world in a garden - the garden of Eden, and it is in this new garden where sin was defeated. The wages of sin, and the consequence of sin is that every human being dies. There is such a finality that we place on death, but the reason we celebrate the resurrection is that in this new garden, death has been defeated - the consequences of sin have been overturned - through the resurrection! Jesus is a gardener of sorts, causing new life to grow where there was once death. It was in this garden that Jesus’ body had been placed, and it was from this garden that he was raised back to life.

Mary wasn’t thinking about all of that as she grieved in the garden that day. She wasn’t connecting the dots - she wouldn’t have been able to even understand that concept yet. What she does know is that her friend died, and she misses him. In death, we often hold on to the last bit of humanity that we can. That is why it can bring a sense of closure for a deceased loved one to be returned to their family. She is weeping on this morning, because she has been to the tomb and found it empty. She is heart-broken thinking that somebody had come and stolen his body. And what is more, she’s grieving her mistaken hopes about who the Messiah was and what he would do for her and her people.

When we experience such deep grief as Mary is in this moment, it can be difficult to focus on any bigger picture. There have been studies done on the effects of grief on the brain, and it turns out that our brains can shut themselves down to only the most basic functioning levels, making abstract and critical thinking difficult if not impossible. It’s why at times we say that we feel like we are just going through the motions, or that we are sleep-walking through life. Maybe that is why Mary was confused and was not able to recognize Jesus. Her friend and Messiah is dead. Her only comfort is in being able to honor his physical body—and now she cannot even do that. We give her a hard time sometimes as we think about how she didn’t recognize him, but of course she doesn’t recognize Jesus! She isn’t looking for him among the living.

Mission and Gospel

When Jesus speaks Mary’s name, there is a powerful moment of recognition. Jesus sees her, knows her, and calls out to her. She is not just another person grieving—she is his disciple, whom he loves.

After she recognizes and names Jesus in return, she is told to go. She is now given the task of evangelism as Jesus tells her to tell the others. Jesus is once again doing something new. Important tasks like this were never given to women because they were viewed as lacking credibility. But Jesus empowers Mary to share the gospel, and she leaves their encounter changed. She is now Mary who has seen the risen Christ, and Mary the evangelist.

This encounter with the resurrected Christ teaches Mary that resurrection is something to be shared, not something to be kept to ourselves. We are called to be a resurrection community, called out of sin and death, just like Mary and the disciples. We live in the hopeful expectation that, just as Christ was raised, we too will one day be raised.

With that hope, we go into the dead places of the world and breathe resurrection into them, joining the Holy Spirit in the good work of sowing seeds of resurrection.

New Life from Death

Living the resurrected life means walking the hard road to the cross, which means laying down our greed, selfishness, pride & whatever the Holy Spirit speaks to us to make us more like Christ. It also might mean laying down our very lives for those around us. It means doing hard things and going to unexpected and hard places.

We go into the worst places of the world, trusting in the hope of resurrection. Resurrection people do not fear the worst places but seek to bring hope, and the light and life of resurrection, into them. Resurrection people know that, in the power of the Spirit, we can do hard things.

There is resurrection hope for everyone in all circumstances: for places and people embroiled in racism, sexism, or any other form of hate; for places and people consumed by poverty; for places and people battling disaster, violence, and disease. I have been extremely heavy hearted this Easter as I think of our brothers & sisters in Christ that live in Ukraine. Yet, even in the throws of war, the believers that are there are gathering today to celebrate the resurrected Christ and the hope of resurrection for their loved ones that have been killed in this horrific war.

Resurrection people are called to go even when it is hard and difficult. We are not abandoned but are gifted by the Holy Spirit. We declare through our lives, words, and actions that even the most forgotten, most forsaken places can be redeemed by God in resurrection hope.

Baptism

Baptism is the initiating act into the community of resurrection.

The water symbolizes both a cleansing and a being brought out of death and into new resurrection life.

When we baptize others, we welcome them into this community, inviting them to join us as resurrection people. But we also remember our own identity as resurrection people.

Conclusion

We sometimes talk about the spirit of Christmas being one that lives on throughout the year, but maybe it would be more appropriate to talk about the spirit of Easter living on throughout the year. Resurrection is not just something that happened one time and that we commemorate each year—rather, it is a way to live. We are people of resurrection. We live in ways that breathe new life into the world around us. We look for where the Holy Spirit is at work, and ask God to show us how we can join that work. We share stories of when and where God has breathed new life for us. We look ahead to the resurrection of the dead not passively but in hopeful expectation. We declare that Christ is risen here this morning, in this space, in this place, and then we go into the world to work for, speak of, and declare resurrection in and to the world around us.