First Lutheran Church

April 9, 2023 + Easter Sunday A

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. 2So 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.” 3Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10Then the disciples returned to their homes.

11But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12and 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. 13They 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.” 14When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus 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.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17Jesus 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.’ ” 18Mary 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

“You Can’t Run To Easter”

Pastor Greg Ronning

(Pastor Greg is not in the sanctuary as the time for the sermon arrives.  After about thirty seconds he comes running in from the Narthex.)

Sorry, I seem to be “running” late this morning.  There’s always just so much to do, especially on Easter Sunday.  Actually, I’ve been “running” all week, - Holy Week!  Extra services to prepare and lead, just so much going on these days.  And I noticed that a few of you were “running” a little late this morning, getting here just in time for the service, - almost.  I appreciate the effort, and I am so glad you made it!

Truth be told, our life gets busy!  We have demanding schedules, things to do at work, things to do in retirement.  (How did that happen?)  It’s hard to keep it all together.  So we “run” around all day.  And sometimes we just get tired, and we hit the snooze bar, literally and figuratively, losing a few precious minutes - here and there and everywhere.

I’m reminded of the Jackson Browne song, “Running On Empty.”

Running on (Running on empty), Running on (Running blind)
Running on (Running into the sun), But I'm running behind

And it’s not just our hectic life and busy schedules that keeps us “running on. ”Often, we find ourselves running, “running away,” from much deeper things.  We run away from our mistakes and our failures, we run away from the past, we run away from broken relationships, we run away from our feelings, we run away from the realities we don’t want to face, and we run away from our pain and our grief.  We keep running because if we slow down, we’re afraid that some, or all, of these things might catch up with us.  We’re all “running on,” we’re all “running on empty;” when it comes down to it, we’re all runners.  Running to keep up with the busy life we have created, and running away from the fear that resides deep within us, the fear that haunts, the fear that keeps us on the move.

As I listened to this morning’s Easter Gospel, I couldn’t help but notice, there’s a lot of “running” going on there too!  Mary Magdalene arrives at the tomb early in the morning and discovers that the stone has been rolled away.  “So she ‘ran’ and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, (John)  …”.   (Side note: It’s kind of funny, how the author of the Gospel of John describes the disciple John, he is always the “beloved” one.)  Anyways, when Peter and John hear about the stone being rolled away and the disappearance of the body of Jesus, so they “run” over to see for themselves.  John writes, “The two were ‘running’ together, but the other disciple ‘outran’ Peter and reached the tomb first.”  (Side note:  John is not only the “beloved” one, but he is a faster runner too.). Mary “runs” after them, and they all look and see that the tomb is empty indeed.  Peter and John decide to go back to their homes.  Remember they are “wanted men” because of their association with Jesus.  So, I doubt they just strolled back, I imagine they “scurried” back, “running” and hiding in fear.(Side note: I wonder who got home first?  Sometimes we run because we’re afraid to lose)  The next time we hear about Peter and John, and the other disciples, they will be hiding behind locked doors because they “fear” the religious authorities.

While Peter and John remain “on the run,” at this point, Mary decides to stop running.  “But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, …”.  Mary, in her faith, in her grief, in her tears, in her love for Jesus, remains. 

I remember a certain graveyard my friends and I would sometimes visit when we were teenagers.  This graveyard was not kept up very well, it was overgrown, it was in the woods, and it was scarry.  And there was this one crypt that was often “opened up.”  It became a game of dare, a dare we would always lose.  We would slowly creep into the graveyard and up to the crypt, and then there would be a noise, there was always a noise, and we would turn and run as fast as we could out of that place.

But Mary Magdalene remained, “As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb, …”

Weeping, crying, tears – they are powerful.  Some of us are good at crying, some of us find it hard to cry.  But it’s a fact, crying is beneficial.  Shedding tears can reduce our stress, let the tension out of our body.  Tears shared, open up our humanity to others, creating relationships.  Tears release chemicals that ease both physical and emotional pain and make us feel better.  Tears keep our eyes moist and prevent them from drying out.  And tears improve vision literally and figuratively.  I’m reminded of the words ofthe martyr Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador said, “There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.”

Mary Magdalene began that first Easter morning “running,” but eventually, perhaps in a moment of courage, or perhaps in a moment of exhaustion, perhaps both, she faithfully stops “running” and “remains.” She stops, sits down in the midst of it all, in a graveyard with an open crypt, and she cries.  And in that moment, - she sees Jesus.  She is the first to bear witness to the resurrection. “There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.”

I’m reminded of the gospel story from a couple of weeks ago, the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.  Jesus arrives too late to heal Lazarus, and outside his tomb he pauses, and “Jesus wept.”   And then, in the midst of a graveyard, surrounded by death, Jesus calls out to Lazarus, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, “Unbind him, and let him go.”  “There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.”

Immediately following today’s service, we will have an Easter Egg Hunt in the courtyard.  We will gather up the children, open the gate, and they will “run” into the courtyard looking for Easter Eggs.  And why not, did you know that the eggs contain candy and coins?  And the kids will be filled with excitement and joy.  We too, watching them, will be filled with the excitement and joy of Easter. And I will be looking for any eggs that might get left behind after the hunt is over.

But let us remember that Easter cannot truly be found in the act of “running.”  You can’t “run” to Easter, “running” only takes you away from Easter.  Let us leave this morning, no longer “on the run,” but ready to slow down, even stop.

Emboldened by the witness of Mary Magdalene, let us faithfully seek out the graveyard that haunts us, the fears that keep us moving, the pain and the brokenness that bind us, the things that keep us captive.  Let us faithfully seek out the graveyards of our world, where all those who suffer must live out their life in pain and death.  Let us find the place where the God who suffered on the cross in Jesus, revealing the heart of God, is present risking to love where it hurts.

And in that place, let us dare to remain, even as the tears begin to flow.  For it is in that place that Christ awaits you, it is in that place that the resurrection begins, it is in that place that healing starts, it is in that place that all things become new.  It is in that place that our desire to be loved, our need to know that we are loved, and our calling to love others as we have been loved, is fully experienced and boldly lived out.

“But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb.

As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; …”

“There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.”

Christ is risen, Christ is risen indeed!  Amen.