Easter Day 2019

Easter Day April 21, 2019 Newland

We are an Easter people. Our lives are formed by the fact that Jesus is alive. As C.S. Lewis said, “The resurrection is like the sun; not only do I see it, but by it I see everything else.”

Because Jesus lives, we live no longer for ourselves, limited by our own knowledge, skill, and strength, but we live for and in Jesus, in the unlimited knowledge and power of the creator of all that is and ever will be. The Holy Spirit of Jesus leads us; the Holy Spirit of Truth leads us into all truth; the Holy Spirit of power gives us all the power we need to love and serve Jesus in the world he has redeemed, the world he has made new by his Easter resurrection.

The women came to the tomb in the early dawn. They had watched carefully as Jesus’ dead body had been taken down from the cross and laid in Joseph’s new tomb. They saw the stone rolled across the entrance to the cave tomb at dusk Friday. They rested on the Sabbath, and came early Sunday morning to the tomb. They came with spices to spread on the body, came to weep at the tomb. Came to weep for what might have been, for Jesus’ life cut short, for the people continuing in sin and oppression, for the moral bankruptcy of the religious, intellectual, and political leadership of the people. These leaders had thrown away their last best chance; they had chosen the limited short term goals of preserving the status quo, and they had killed their Savior.

The women came early to the tomb and saw the stone taken away and the tomb empty. Was Jesus to suffer the final indignity of having his body stolen for the sake of its linen wrappings and the coins laid on his eyes? Was his naked body to be dumped in a ditch? But as they stood perplexed and wondering, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them.  

The gospel accounts of the resurrection differ in details. In St. Mark the women find the door of the tomb rolled back. They enter the tomb and see a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe. In St. Matthew there is a great earthquake. An angel of the Lord descends from heaven, rolls back the stone, and sits on it. In St. John Mary Magdalene comes early to the tomb, while it was yet dark. She sees the stone taken away and goes to Peter and “the other disciple whom Jesus loved. They come, see the empty tomb, and go home. Mary Magdalene stays, looks into the tomb, and sees two angels sitting, one at the head, one at the feet where the body had lain. The angel begins as angels do, “Don’t be afraid.”  “He has risen!” St. Matthew and St. Mark have, “He is going before you to Galilee.” In today’s gospel two men remind the women of Jesus’ teaching before his death. Mary Magdalen is one of the women, and Peter comes to see the empty tomb. Both St. John and St. Luke tell of the risen Jesus sharing a meal with disciples. St. John places the meal in the upper room where Jesus ate the Last Supper; St. Luke has it on the road to Emmaus.

Jesus’ death and resurrection were at Passover time. Eastern Orthodox churches keep Easter after Passover so this year the Orthodox will celebrate Easter next Sunday.  Some years like 2010, 2011, 2017 and 2025 we celebrate on the same day. Other years like 2013, 2016, and 2024 the dates are a month apart.

This year Good Friday was the first night of Passover. Jews keep Passover with a special meal during which they tell again the story of their Exodus from slavery in Egypt. Christians join our celebration of freedom from slavery to sin with Jesus’ triumph over death, the wages of sin, so we proclaim, “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; therefore let us keep the feast! Alleluia!”        

St. Paul reminds us in today’s Epistle, “the last enemy to be destroyed is death.” Jesus’ resurrection sets us free from the death of sin and frees us to live new life in him. We also are forgiven sinners. Our Easter task is to live fully into Jesus’ resurrection.

Jesus’ resurrection opens to us opportunity to forgive others as we have been forgiven. The resurrection opens to us opportunity to live “righteous, godly, and sober lives.” The resurrection opens to us opportunity to love others in the same way and with the same intensity that God loves us, opportunity to be “in love and charity with all people.”  

          Because Jesus lives, we live no longer for ourselves, limited by our own knowledge, skill, and strength, but we live for and in Jesus, in the unlimited knowledge and power of the creator of all that is and ever will be. The Holy Spirit of Jesus leads us; the Holy Spirit of Truth leads us into all truth; the Holy Spirit of power gives us all the power we need to love and serve Jesus in the world he has redeemed, the world he has made new by his Easter resurrection.

We are an Easter people. Our lives are formed by the fact that Jesus is alive. As C.S. Lewis said, “The resurrection is like the sun; not only do I see it, but by it I see everything else.”  Amen.