April 12, Easter

JOHN 20:1-18

Alleluia!  Christ is Risen!  Christ is risen indeed!

Today, we celebrate the greatest day in the history of the world!  We celebrate the great truth that Jesus Christ, who was crucified on a cross and died, arose from the dead just three days later! This one truth is what sets Christianity apart from every other system of belief in the world!  We serve a risen Savior!

For us the sight of an empty tomb on Easter morning is a sign that it’s time to shout, “Alleluia!  Christ is Risen!”  For Mary Magdalene it must have been like experiencing the crucifixion all over again.  As if it weren’t enough to have Jesus taken by death on the cross, we can imagine how Mary must have felt on that dark morning to find he had been taken again?  “They have taken the Lord,” she laments, “and we do not know where they have laid him.”

We can easily see that on that first Easter morning things looked very bleak to Mary Magdalene.  She had been with Jesus almost from the very beginning of his ministry, and had seen Jesus perform miracle after miracle. Standing at the foot of the cross she had watched as the nails were driven into His hands.  Her heart had been broken, and as tears ran down her face, she tried to figure out where she might begin looking for Jesus’ body that morning.  The neatly folded burial cloths were not enough to convince her that something more miraculous than grave robbers were at the heart of the mystery of the empty tomb. Even the sight of the two angels did not convince her.  In fact, it took Jesus calling her by name to realize that He had actually risen.  It was then that Mary consciously understood that something completely unexpected and illogical had happened.

Like Mary on that morning so long ago, we often stumble through periods of spiritual darkness. Yet we know that Jesus is there, whether we can see him or not. God’s plan for our lives is still moving forward, even when we cannot see a way forward, if only we believe.

In today’s world, many cannot get past the illogicalness of the resurrection.  They live their lives as if they believe Jesus is dead.  Jesus calls their name, but they refuse to hear His call.  Yet, deep down they are searching for something that really satisfies their longing.  Often, they try to fill that hole in their heart with material things.  Purchase after purchase they find that the hole still exists, and perhaps it is even deeper than before.  They have no hope that their longing will ever be filled.  It is this kind of despair that fuels the increase in drug use and suicides in our society.

Notice that Mary Magdalene was sent to tell the others that Jesus was alive.  We too, as disciples of Christ are sent to bring this very same message to those around us who are floundering and lost.  The wonderful message of God’s love and mercy for each one of us, and the message of hope.  The message that can fulfill the unnamed longing.  The message that can give each of us joy and peace.

All of us, whether we are Christians or not, face darkness and despair in our lives at one time or another.  The good news is that God defeated the ultimate darkness, the darkness of death without eternal life.   Christ rose from the grave so that we all would know the power of the resurrection. So that we all would experience the hope of the cross.  As we leave here this glorious Easter morning, let us remember the words of my favorite of favorite hymns.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

The Lord has risen! The Lord has risen indeed! Alleluia!

Amen.