Jesus Lives! Jesus is Lord!

March 31, 2018 / April 1, 2018       Easter
Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Mark 16:1-8                                                                                                             
 
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, our strength, and our redeemer. Amen.  Psalm 19:14
 
Alleluia. Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!​
 
Isn’t it grand to be able to say “Alleluia!” again? 
 
1.      Some of you know me, but for those who don’t, I am Mother Darlene Kuhn, Rector at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Albion.  Thank you so much for inviting us to worship with you tonight for the first service of the Easter season. 
2.     Last night I preached at the Easter Vigil at Trinity Marshall.
Although a cradle Anglican I did not grow up with this service.  I probably attended my first Easter Vigil about ten years ago.  I enjoy the pageantry, the kindling of the fire and the gradual lighting of the candles throughout the church, the retelling of the familiar Bible stories like we do for Christmas Lessons and Carols, the excitement of Baptism and the first Eucharist of the Easter season.  I am so glad that you are able to join us for worship this evening / morning.
Mark 16:1-8  When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Jesus. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
 
Mark’s Easter story is very different from what we expect.  It is very short, only eight verses.  Although the tomb is empty, Mark has no resurrection appearances of Jesus.  A young man, that we assume is an angel, tells the women that Jesus has been raised and will meet them in Galilee where he first met them. The women flee in terror and say nothing about what they have seen or heard and yet the author of Mark tells us what we need to know.  Jesus is alive and Jesus is Lord.  This is the meaning of the empty tomb.[1]
Alleluia. Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
 
Jesus told his disciples three times that he would be arrested in Jerusalem and killed, but that he would rise on the third day.  Jesus’ disciples never understood what it meant for Jesus to rise from the dead and were afraid to ask him.  Shortly after Peter confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus told his disciples for the first time that he would be arrested, killed and rise again.  Peter rebuked Jesus for even suggesting this, this is not what Peter wanted to hear and Peter was in turn rebuked by Jesus.  Peter did not understand what it meant for Jesus to be the Messiah, he did not understand that Jesus’ Messiah is a humble servant of the Kingdom of God advocating for justice for the sick, the poor and the marginalized, even if it leads to death on a cross.
After Jesus foretold his death a second time, we learn that the disciples have been arguing amongst themselves as to who is the greatest.  They do not understand that the Kingdom of God is not about power and wealth and violence as exhibited by the Roman Empire, but is about love and justice for all. 
When Jesus foretold his passion for a third time, James and John came to him and asked for a favor.  They asked if they might sit one at his right hand and one at his left hand in his glory.  They did not know that Jesus would be crucified with two bandits, one on his right and one on his left.  This is certainly not what they were imagining.
The disciples and Jesus’ followers did not believe Jesus when he said that he would be arrested and crucified, not until his arrest at Gethsemane, did they finally understand and they fled in terror.  Not everyone deserted Jesus though.  Mark tells us that some women watched Jesus be crucified and his death from a distance and saw where the body was laid.  Joseph of Arimathea requested Jesus’ body from Pilate and laid it in a tomb.
So on this first Easter morning the women come to the tomb to complete the burial ritual fully expecting to find a dead body.  When the young man tells them that the one who was crucified has been raised from the dead, the women finally run in terror.  They do not know what it means to be raised from the dead, but the possibility of a ghost is just too much for them and they run.  But we the listeners of Mark’s story know from the very first sentence who Jesus is. When the angel tells them to go to Galilee he is sending them to the beginning of the story where we heard, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”  The tomb is empty and we know that Jesus has been resurrected and that Jesus lives—he lives today, not just two thousand years ago.[2]
The soldiers mocked Jesus.  The religious leaders mocked Jesus on the cross.  The passersby mocked Jesus saying “save yourself, and come down from the cross.”  Even the bandits mocked Jesus, but Jesus is Lord—one with God, raised to God’s right hand, vindicated by God as both Lord and Christ, and thus vindicated against the powers that put him to death.[3]  
“What does the story of the empty tomb mean?”  Jesus is alive and Jesus is Lord.  This is the meaning of the empty tomb.
Alleluia. Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
 


[1]     Marcus J. Borg, Conversations with Scripture: The Gospel of Mark, p 108, Morehouse Publishing, Harrisburg-New York, 2009.
 

[2]      Ibid.

[3]      Ibid.