April 24 Sermon: Easter Sunday
Sermon, Easter Sunday
April 24, 2011
Holy Covenant UMC
Rev. Kate Hurst Floyd
John 20:1-18
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How could this happen to me?
How could this happen to me? thought Mary Magdalene, as she approached the tomb of her beloved Jesus. Enough is enough already. My face is still wet with tears from witnessing his death on the cross. My body aches from a lack of sleep. I can’t get the horrific images out of my mind. Jesus was humiliated, tortured, and suffered at the hands of the state. Left alone to die for his beliefs. His dead body drug off of the cross. I didn’t think it could get any worse than that. I can’t take anymore. All I want is to sit in silence at his tomb, bring some flowers, and pray. Dry my tears in the morning sun.
But I can’t do what I want, my plans are totally destroyed—for his body is gone! Jesus is missing, the tomb is empty….how could this happen to me?
I’m tired.
Tired of death, of despair, of darkness.
I’m lonely….Jesus was the first and only person to really give me a chance. To see me as a whole person, not reduce me to my body or my class or my gender. He loved me unconditionally and made me feel whole.
And the irony is, that’s in part why they killed him, why he was taken away from me too soon. Because of this radical, abundant, generous love. They very thing that saved me killed him. And nobody even saved his body.
How could this be happening?
**
How could this happen to me? We think. With the weight of Good Friday still bearing down on our shoulders, we ask ourselves how things could get any worse.
We make our plans for the day, and they’re destroyed: by news of a death, the loss of a job, a friend’s scary diagnosis.
We’re tired.
Tired of death, of despair, of darkness.
Afraid of what’s next: Medical bills, divorce papers, moving trucks and funeral arrangements; revamping our resumes, credit card debt, an empty apartment at 2 in the morning.
The world outside our lives doesn’t look much brighter:
People are still killing each other in Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq; Sierra leone and the Sudan; Japan still reels from earthquake and tsunami damage; The national budget is cutting benefits for the poor and the middle class, while the rich keep getting richer.
How could this keep happening in the world, we wonder?
So we weep, like Mary, our tears not yet dry from the grief of yesterday.
Woman, why are you weeping?
An angel has the audacity to ask Mary. What an absurd question to pose to a woman in a cemetery! Why do you think I’m weeping, Mary says; I didn’t just watch a sappy hallmark commercial, I’m at the tomb of a friend. I was weeping already, and now it seems someone has stolen his body. You’d be weeping too!
And then she sees a man, probably the gardener, points her finger and says: Why did you do this to me? Why is this happening? You took his body, didn’t you? The body of my savior? Where is it?
Our eyes are desperate, like Mary’s to find someone to blame. Fingers ready to point, whole bodies alert to the who/what/where/when/why things aren’t perfect. Ready to knock somebody over for destroying our plans. Ready and waiting to say: it’s you, isn’t it? Blaming others, blaming ourselves, blaming God: How is this happening?
In the midst of despair, through tear soaked eyes and a numb body, Mary’s ears perk up:
The man in front of her says: Mary. Mary. Mary!
He wipes away every tear from her eyes. The aches and pains and headache disappear. The loneliness transforms into the most profound sense of connection she’s ever known! Her mourning turns to dancing!
Mary!
In that moment, she knows.
Knows he is risen. Knows this is her beloved Jesus. Christ, the savior of the world.
In her name, she knows. This man who was dead is now alive. Knows that the death-plans of the world have been completely destroyed, forever!
Jesus has been calling names, changing lives, from the very beginning of his ministry. He’s still speaking, still living among us, ushering in resurrection:
Lazarus, come out of the tomb!
Steven, come out of the closet!
Legion, I cast out your demons!
Amy, I cast out your addiction!
Peter, I forgive you for denying me!
Jason, I forgive you for betraying your partner!
Mary, you are God’s beloved!
Catherine, you are a precious child of God!
In our names, we know. Know that we are seen and heard. Know that we are healed. Know that our plans for the day have been completely destroyed. For in Christ’s rising, in his appearance, our lives are changed forever.
Friends, on this Easter morning, Jesus is calling your name. Listen for it, right here, right now…. Close your eyes—do you hear it?
Jesus, risen from the dead, living forever, says our name and brings us new life.
Mary was ready. So ready for this love, ready to cling onto Jesus forevermore.
But he says to her: Mary, you can’t hold onto me here. For my rising, my salvation, isn’t for you alone. This gift of resurrection is for the whole wide world. Go…go and share with the world what you’ve seen. What you’ve heard. What you believe! Tell the world that death is dead! Tell the world that eternal life is real! Find my disciples, say their names, and spread this good news.
And on this Easter morning Jesus is saying to us: Don’t keep me to yourself! Shout, to the whole wide world, that I am risen! That death is no more. That despair was killed on that cross. That love wins.
Because there is still much reason to weep in the world. The world is still broken. Suffering is real. Systemic injustice is alive. The violence of the cross continues to be enacted every day, here in Chicago and around the world. However, because of the resurrection, we see and experience the world differently…for now we live in a world where love has the final word, not suffering.
In the resurrection, Jesus promises us a future kingdom without pain. Where mourning and tears and death disappear forever. Love may not always win in this lifetime, but because Christ is risen, we are too, eternally reconciled with God. Resurrection is for all of us, beyond our time on earth.
As a response to this good news that ultimately, love wins, Jesus calls us as his disciples to name resurrection every chance we get. He calls us by name to call others. To participate in creating this kingdom right here, right now, in our broken world, living with the hope of the kingdom before us. Living our lives sharing love.
Lest we think we’re not good enough to share this good news….all we have to do is look closely at who Jesus chose to appear to first; look who he asked to share the greatest news the world has ever known! Mary Magdalene. A woman in a culture that only gave voice and authority to men; an unmarried woman, when the little status women had was tied to their husbands; rumored to be sexually deviant; without money, family name, or title. Not even one of the official disciples. When Jesus says Mary’s name first, he says blessed are those whom the world tries to destroy.
So Jesus says woe to those who say women shouldn’t preach; Woe to those in our very denomination who deny gays and lesbians access to the pulpit and the sacraments; woe to those who say you need to go to seminary or be a preacher to be a faithful follower of Christ;
He looks out at us, from beyond the grave, and says: blessed be your name. Say my name to others!
In the resurrection, Jesus breaks the power of death. He also breaks the power of human divisions that divide and exclude, categorize and marginalize.
Jesus creates a world where everybody, everybody, called by name, knows they are invited to feast at his heavenly banquet!
How do we live as a people who are shaped by the promise of love? By saying someone’s name when they can’t see past their own tears.
Say: John, Christ is risen! You are loved! Your beloved wife isn’t gone forever, she’s eternally reconciled with God. And you will be reconciled with her one day soon. But in the meantime, I will call you up, say “John”, let me take you to lunch. You can cry on my shoulder. We can sit in silence together. Together, by the power of God, we’ll destroy the plans of the world that say sadness wins.
Say: Susanna, Christ is risen! You are loved! You suffer from a mental illness, which is a hard, long road. But I’ll be by your side. You’re not walking this journey alone. I’ll go to the doctor, help you with your kids. I’ll participate in a campaign to increase funding for and de-stigmatize your disease. Together, by the power of God, we’ll destroy the plans of the world that say depression wins.
Say: Gabe, Christ is risen! You are loved, by me and by God. I know your family and your church have kicked you out for being gay. But listen to the voice of God, who’s calling your name, who created you to be exactly as you are. Gabe, I will love you and fight for your rights. Together, by the power of God, we’ll destroy the plans of the world that say you don’t deserve human worth, rights or dignity.
Say: Christina, Chris is risen! You are loved, by me and by God. Your heart is breaking because you are going through a divorce. We can’t skip past the pain. But I am going to be right by your side as you walk through it. Calling, bringing food, crying with one another. Knowing that because of the cross, God knows what it means to be broken, and carries us through. You may not see love on the other side, but I do, Christina, and I’ll hold out hope for you.
Together, by the power of God, we’ll destroy the plans of the world that say heartache wins.
Christ is alive. In and through us he’s bringing resurrections, right here, right now. As we work, pray, and live for that day when we’ll all be resurrected.
So let us go out, hearing our names, saying the name of others. Knowing that love wins. So that one by one, name by name, the whole world shouts in unison: How could this be happening to me? How could this wondrous love, this amazing grace, this gift of eternal life, be happening to me?
Let us leave, this Easter morning, with the very name of Jesus upon our lips. And go forth shouting: Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!
Thanks be to God. Alleluia, Amen.
Tags: Kate
