Sermon for Easter

The reading: John 20:1-18

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 message

A few months ago, I was in the city for a deans meeting.  This is a group of pastors who represent different regions the Lutheran Church in New York.  We meet a 6 or7  times a year at the Bishop’s office located right around Columbia University on the Upper West Side.   The closest train station is the 116th street stop on the 1 train.  It’s a small but always very busy station. With all of the schools, churches and tourist sites up there, people are constantly getting on and off the train.   After our meeting and lunch, most of the pastors head over to that train station to start the trip back home. It’s a chance to follow up about news and information from the meeting, complain about our schedules or just vent frustrations with our work, buildings, churches or members (none of you here, of course). 

That afternoon, 5 or 6 of us walked down the station stairs together. There was a young woman sitting and crying in the station.  Most of us just passed by, wondering if she was okay or saying a quick prayer for whatever was going on in her life.  Most of us suspected this could be something major that was making her cry, it might take a very long time to talk through, it could be something beyond our ability to help or it might be unsafe, after all we had no idea what we would be walking into.  There were lots of reasons to not stop.  Perhaps the best reason to not stop was the young lady might prefer to just be left alone. In that case walking by was considerate.  One of the pastors in our group did stop, said a few introductory words to the young woman and sat down with her, in the middle of the dirty stairs. There they sat, directly in the way of all those people like me, who had no idea what they might be walking into, so they kept walking away.  The pastor who stopped told us she might be there for a while and to go on without her, which we did (the young woman was in good care and no one wants to be surrounded by 5 pastors they don’t know in a stairwell, that’s just sort of creepy and complicated).    

I’m not sure how long they sat there or what was said and done, I suspect part of this meeting on the subway stairs eventually included that question the 2 angels in the empty tomb and then Jesus all ask Mary on the first Easter morning, “why are you crying”.  The pastor on the subway stairs was probably not so direct. Before you can ask someone “why are you crying”, he or she has to think you actually care about what the answer is, that you can handle the answer, that you will stay regardless of why those tears are there.

That uncertainly is the most difficult part of asking someone “why are you crying”.  You do not know what the answer will be until you ask the question, you do not know what exactly you are walking into until you are sitting there.  What am I walking into was the big question last week as we celebrated Palm Sunday.  We heard the report of Jesus triumphant welcome into Jerusalem as the Messiah and then the report of Jesus being crucified, put on the cross between 2 criminals.  No one walking with Jesus after he raised Lazarus from the dead expected Jesus to be crucified a few days later, no one shouting Hosanna in streets and throwing palm branches before Jesus feet had any idea this was basically a funeral procession When Jesus first invites his disciples to “follow me”, when he restores the paralyzed, gives sight to the blind, turns water into wine, welcomes an outsider into the kingdom of God, heals the son of a royal official,  feeds a great crowd of thousands with a few loaves and a couple of fish, walks on water, raises Lazarus from the dead, and confronts human authority with God’s authority.  people thought they were walking to power and glory. No one thought Jesus was on a walk to death and life, to hell and back. Most people get off the road long before it ends.  As soon as people get a hint of what they were walking into, of where this was going, they stop and walk the other way.   

Even Jesus struggles with walking this road, lamenting, praying for strength, crying out, I don’t want to do this.  In John’s Gospel, we clearly see the only way that Jesus can complete this walk is with prayer, with God at his side, with trusting that God is in trials, God is in death, God is in humiliation, God is in pain.  Jesus knows the question is not “what am I walking into”, the question is “what are God and I walking into”.   Today is really a continuation of that question, of “what are God and I walking into”.  When Mary heads out early in the morning on the third day since Jesus death, she does not know that she is walking into the good news.  After Mary’s report about the stone being moved, Simon Peter and another disciple run to the tomb but have no idea what they are walking into. They walk into the greatest, most significant moment in history. They leave and  have no idea where they were. 

Mary stays by the empty tomb. There, the angels ask Mary that question we do not want to walk into, “why are you crying”. Mary says: they have taken my Lord away. Moments later, Jesus asks the same question, “why are you weeping”  and she says “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away” She thinks Jesus is the gardener, she still does not know that she walked into news of salvation, resurrection, forgiveness, truth and eternal life.   She realizes that Christ is Risen only when Jesus calls her by name. Once Mary realizes it is Jesus asking her “why are you crying”, those tears the angels couldn’t stop turn quickly to shouts of joy.  From the  risen Christ, why are you crying is an invitation to relationship, an invitation for her to tell her story and realize it matters, to express her grief and receive comfort, to express her fears and receive strength. 

This Easter we receive an invitation as well.  A gift of salvation by grace through faith that pushes us to God and lets us walk into life knowing God is actually there, walk into school, work, home, church knowing God is actually there with you, walk into relationships knowing God is actually there with you, walk into peace knowing God is actually there, walk into those places you do not want to go knowing God is actually there, walk through conflict, suffering and death knowing that God is actually there.  It is our power to tell someone, anyone you are in our work and prayers, knowing, Christ is Risen for all people, with God all things are possible and prayer actually matters. On Easter, we see God walking with Jesus through death and into life.  This is the day when God sits on the subway stairs with us and asks “why are you crying?” This is the day we learn our God, entirely out of love for us and concern for us, is not afraid of the answer.  Our God does not go “this is going to be tough”, “I don’t have time for this”, “he or she does not deserve anything” or “oh crap what do I do now”. When God asks us “why are you crying”, It is good news of welcome, acceptance and Easter joy, it is the promise “I will walk with you, wherever you go”.