Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
Those of you who attended my class on my visit to Israel may remember me
talking about the Tomb of Jesus in the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. It's the spot
where tradition states Jesus was laid to rest after the crucifixion.
This holiest of holy sites, as one might expect, has quite a long wait to see it. People circle all the way around the tomb, waiting for their chance to go in.
And when you finally make it to the entrance, there's this tiny waiting room to go into the actual inside of the tomb. About 6 people can fit in there. And then one of the Orthodox Christian brothers will tell you 3 people can go in. Because that's about all that can fit.
It's just a grey slab in a room with some candles and one or two icons. But there's a powerful sense you get while you are in there.This is the spot where our Savior was laid.
But there's another reason for the power of the Tomb. And I didn't figure it out until I talked with some of my friends about their experience in the Tomb later. What is most powerful about this experience is that here's the slab where Jesus was laid and He isn't there. He's gone. He's risen.
There's no display with His body. There's no plaque saying that His body got moved to some other location. He is just gone. What once was dead is dead no more. He's gone. He isn't there. He's risen.
That is the true power of this Easter celebration. That Jesus died. There are witnesses to that. On Good Friday, we spoke of the Roman soldiers who pierced His side, just to make sure He was dead. Last week on Palm Sunday and on Good Friday, we learn Joseph of Arimathea had his body brought to this tomb, not far from where Jesus was crucified. We know that He was dead. And in Dickens' words, He was "as dead as a door nail."
And yet His body disappears without a trace. No one has found it. As we learn in Matthew's account, there were Roman Soldiers guarding the tomb so that no one could steal the body. Yet somehow, the stone has been rolled away. There is nothing left on the stone slab where Jesus' body had been laid.
And thus begins the frantic search. First by Peter and the beloved disciple, who rush to the tomb after Mary Magdalene tells them that Jesus is gone. They have to see it for themselves. And then Mary Magdalene, as if in disbelief over what has happened, goes frantically searching for Jesus herself.
This holiest of holy sites, as one might expect, has quite a long wait to see it. People circle all the way around the tomb, waiting for their chance to go in.
And when you finally make it to the entrance, there's this tiny waiting room to go into the actual inside of the tomb. About 6 people can fit in there. And then one of the Orthodox Christian brothers will tell you 3 people can go in. Because that's about all that can fit.
It's just a grey slab in a room with some candles and one or two icons. But there's a powerful sense you get while you are in there.This is the spot where our Savior was laid.
But there's another reason for the power of the Tomb. And I didn't figure it out until I talked with some of my friends about their experience in the Tomb later. What is most powerful about this experience is that here's the slab where Jesus was laid and He isn't there. He's gone. He's risen.
There's no display with His body. There's no plaque saying that His body got moved to some other location. He is just gone. What once was dead is dead no more. He's gone. He isn't there. He's risen.
That is the true power of this Easter celebration. That Jesus died. There are witnesses to that. On Good Friday, we spoke of the Roman soldiers who pierced His side, just to make sure He was dead. Last week on Palm Sunday and on Good Friday, we learn Joseph of Arimathea had his body brought to this tomb, not far from where Jesus was crucified. We know that He was dead. And in Dickens' words, He was "as dead as a door nail."
And yet His body disappears without a trace. No one has found it. As we learn in Matthew's account, there were Roman Soldiers guarding the tomb so that no one could steal the body. Yet somehow, the stone has been rolled away. There is nothing left on the stone slab where Jesus' body had been laid.
And thus begins the frantic search. First by Peter and the beloved disciple, who rush to the tomb after Mary Magdalene tells them that Jesus is gone. They have to see it for themselves. And then Mary Magdalene, as if in disbelief over what has happened, goes frantically searching for Jesus herself.
In her search, she finds someone who could only be the gardener for the tomb. ANd she begs Him to tell her if He has done anything to the body of her Lord. "Please," it's as if she says "I just need to know what's happened to His body."
And then the Gardner calls her name. And she knows this is no Gardner she is
speaking to. It is, in fact, her Lord.
The amazing power of Easter is that Jesus is risen. He cannot be found in the tomb where His dead body was laid. He cannot be found dead and decomposing. He is now alive once more. He has risen to new heights.
The amazing power of Easter is that Jesus is risen. He cannot be found in the tomb where His dead body was laid. He cannot be found dead and decomposing. He is now alive once more. He has risen to new heights.
And when we search for Him, we find that Jesus often comes to us in the very
same way He came to Mary Magdalene. Close, and in the last place we would
think to look.
Because Jesus is no longer dead, but alive. And if alive, then present. And through the Holy Spirit, He remains present with us where we may find ourselves to be.
Because Jesus is no longer dead, but alive. And if alive, then present. And through the Holy Spirit, He remains present with us where we may find ourselves to be.
The power of the Resurrection is that Jesus is with us still. That Jesus is with us
always.
And most of all, the Resurrection give us hope. It means we no longer have to fear death. Because Jesus has already conquered it for us. Because Jesus has shown us that death is not the end. And because Jesus has gained life anew, He can offer us back out own lives.
Through Baptism, we become buried with Christ Jesus in death. But because He returned from the dead, we too are promised the opportunity to be with The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in the next life. The new life. Our recreated life.
And most of all, the Resurrection give us hope. It means we no longer have to fear death. Because Jesus has already conquered it for us. Because Jesus has shown us that death is not the end. And because Jesus has gained life anew, He can offer us back out own lives.
Through Baptism, we become buried with Christ Jesus in death. But because He returned from the dead, we too are promised the opportunity to be with The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in the next life. The new life. Our recreated life.
Because Jesus rose from the dead, we no longer have to fear death. All we have
to do is to be grateful for the new life we have received. All we have to do is
show gratitude to God through our worship and our love for one another. All we really have to do is be thankful.