First Congregational Church of Wauwatosa
“I Have Seen the Lord”
Rev. Sue LeFeber
Easter Sunday ~ April 24, 2011
John 20:1-18
1Early 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.
Sermon
There is a pattern we can get locked into, a way of seeing life and the world around us. In this pattern we begin with hope, and we end in disappointment. Then we hope again, only to be disappointed again. It can seem to happen over and over, in an endless cycle of up and down, good and evil, winning and losing. One minute we’re up, the next we’re down. What goes around comes around. And on it goes. I don’t think we can really understand the finality of the gift of Easter until we compare it with this alternative.
Did those who first followed Jesus think they were a part of this cycle? What can we see if we look in the faces of Mary, Peter, and the “other disciple”? They began in hope, as this most amazing man, Jesus, called them from their nets, from their tax collecting, from their homes and families, and asked them to follow him—which they did. They gave up everything they relied on – jobs, friends, security – to set out on the road with him. And what a journey of adventure it was… for a while.
They heard him preach amazing things, prophetic words that shook the world and the powers of the world to their very foundations. They saw him heal the sick, calm the storm, and make a few loaves of bread into a feast that fed thousands. They came to understand that he was much more than the greatest teacher the world had ever known. There was something about him that was hard to put into words – a hint, perhaps, of divinity – a whiff of the Holy of Holies – a sense of the wild Spirit that would not be tamed.
Last week they saw him ride up the hill to Jerusalem in triumph; it was not elegant, there were no great horses, but there were crowds, and cloaks, and branches, and loud cheers. It really looked like the tide would turn and that this kingdom he kept talking about would finally come to pass. They had such high hopes. They really believed victory was in sight.
And then came the disappointment, as everything fell apart. Jesus was betrayed by an insider, someone they all thought they could trust. He was handed over to the authorities, who made a mockery of justice and sentenced him to death. He died the worst of all possible deaths, on the cross, and their hopes died with him. All that they had done had turned to ashes and dust. Oh, there were still a few things to do, rituals to observe. They could still go through the motions. But it seemed as if all hope was gone, and if there was a way to go forward, they just couldn’t see it.
It happens in our own lives, too: hope and triumph, followed by loss and grief. It seems to take place over and over again. We get our hopes up that this job will work out, this relationship will last, this time our candidate will win, this checkup will go well, this time the news will be good. We want to grab onto a little bit of security, so we can stop worrying. But none of us escape. We hope for smooth sailing as long as things look good, until our best-laid plans unravel, and everywhere we look, we see dust and ashes. So we go through the motions, observing the rituals, waiting for hope to reappear.
And I also know your church’s story. We can trace this same arc of hope as we follow the pioneer settlers who first worshiped near here in 1842, and then purchased a blackberry patch on the ground beneath our feet. Your ancestors gave up jobs and friends and security – everything they relied on – and set out for adventure on the road. And what a journey they had, for quite a long time!
My husband’s ancestors are tied up with yours: his great-great-grandfather Jozias Lefeber came from Holland in 1847 and built a dairy farm just south of this place. Somewhere near here there’s a street bearing the family name, and a block of offices close to where the Lefeber Store used to stand. His Dutch Bible is on Bill’s and my bookshelf at home, with his name written in the front, and tucked inside are a newspaper clipping on raising strawberries, and a recipe for soap, and some prayer cards with pictures of baby Moses in his basket and Elijah being fed by ravens. It’s touching to see from these fragments of a life how this man came here looking for new hope and a better life.
Hope was kept alive as wonderful things happened here. There was an exodus from southern slavery to freedom in Canada through your underground railway. You sent young men to win rights for others in the Civil War, and in many wars after that. Thousands of children and adults have passed through your Sunday Schools, and many more thousands of your dollars have been dedicated to God’s work all over the world. Amazing and prophetic words have been preached from this pulpit. Some of you grew up here, and have never known any other church home. Some of you came here later, because you knew that this was a place where you could grow closer to God. But as I have prepared for this day as your guest, I have seen your faces, and the grief in your eyes. I have spoken with you and heard your disappointment. Hope, and disappointment. Oh, there are still a few things to do, rituals to observe. You can still go through the motions. But sometimes, if there is a way to go forward, that way is hard to see. If all we have to rely on is ourselves, there’s not much more to do.
But today is Easter, and Easter changes everything. Easter points out the lie of our cycles of hope and disappointment, and reassures us that we are on a path with a very clear goal. Our lives and all that we love and care for are going somewhere, getting better and better, and no matter how bad it sometimes looks, there will be a happy ending. And even better, the outcome is not left to us and our poor resources – it has already been won for us by our God, who loves us more than life itself.
But let’s get back to our stories – when we left off, remember, there was disappointment and loss. As Mary went to the tomb, she found it open, and Jesus’ body gone. She ran to get others, who looked around and went home. But Mary stayed, weeping. There didn’t seem to be anything else to do. And in the darkest hour of her despair, two angels came and asked why she was crying, and she turned, and a man she had mistaken for the gardener spoke her name, “Mary.” And the world shifted on its axis, and life started all over again from scratch. The air was clearer, the colors were brighter, the flowers smelled sweeter, and the birds sang. All that appeared to be lost was given back many times over, and the hidden way forward that had been shrouded in pain was now a clear path in the bright light of God’s love, leading to a glorious new future. Mary was able to say, “I have seen the Lord.”
Jesus who was no longer had become Jesus who is and always will be. The humble king who rode the donkey up the hill had become the King of Kings whose reign will never end. God his father has become God our father. And God our father and creator, who made everything at the beginning of time, who watches over all time, entered into time and changed time forever. It can sometimes be hard to see it by our dim mirrors, but the new creation has begun and all the bad old endings are nothing but shadows that disappear in the light. We have seen the Lord.
This means that our stories are also no longer on a cycle of hope and despair. We are on a pathway to God. God has plans for creation, and for each and every one of us. A new Way has been laid out for all the earth and all of us. God’s plans do not include hopelessness and despair, death, loss, and separation. These things will still touch us for a while – we are not yet complete – but they will not have the last word, and all will be well.
And rest assured also that God has plans for this gathered congregation of Christ-followers. As long as this is God’s church, God’s plans do not include failure. There may be some old habits that have to die so the new healthy ones can grow, but a new Way will be opened for you.
Jesus lived. He walked this earth 2000 years ago in a place that we can still visit. He ate and drank and woke and slept just like we do. He ached and cried and laughed and prayed just like we do. He suffered in all the ways that we do, and many more. And then, in ways that we cannot explain in any rational manner or with any limited human vocabulary, he took all the evil and pain that the world that had to give, and he transformed them on the cross. He changed the way that we live, and the way that we die. The battle for all creation, including our eternal souls, is already won, and we have nothing to fear. Jesus still lives. We have seen the Lord.
As we finish, I want to remind you again that with his resurrection, Jesus has broken the old patterns and cycles, and has set us on a path to eternity. Even time has been changed forever, and every moment takes on new meaning. So let us close by thinking about the difference Easter makes to the past, the future, and the present. We know that God has acted in the past. God created the world and everyone in it. Jesus walked this earth. And then God intervened in history on a specific day nearly two thousand years ago and changed everything.
And because of that day, which we commemorate on this day, God invites us into God’s future. This future will be marked by God’s purposes and God’s peace. The strife is over, the battle is won, so we have nothing more to fear. Alleluia!
Which only leaves the present. How do we live on this day, and on these days before us, as Easter people who have seen the Lord? These are the days we have been given to make a difference, to work to build God’s kingdom. These are the days for building up each other, for growing in the disciplines of love and peace and honor and trust and self-control. These are the days for putting Jesus’ teachings into effect: for loving God with all your hearts and souls and minds, and for loving your neighbor as yourselves. These are the days for waiting on God, because God promises to renew your strength. These are the days for praying with all your might, because one of the best things about prayer is the way it helps us all to understand what God wants us to do. These are the days for trusting in the Easter truth that you really are in God’s hands, and that there is nowhere else on earth that is safer or better.
Hear the good news. Christ is risen indeed. We have seen the Lord. And this is what makes all the difference. Alleluia. Amen.