March 31, 2024 ~ EASTER
Rev. Beckie Sweet
On the first Easter, very early in the morning, the women come to the tomb with spices to anoint Jesus’ body. They find the stone rolled away, so they enter the tomb, but they do not find Jesus’ body. Two angels in clothes that gleamed like lightning appear and the women bow down in fear, looking at the ground. Then the angels ask, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”
That’s a good question. Of course, it was a good question in the context of the account of the women going to the tomb on that first Easter. And it’s still a good question for us this Easter, centuries later. Why do you look for the living among the dead?
For the women, this must have been a surprising question. Think about it. They had gone to the tomb to attend to Jesus’ body. They had witnessed his death. They knew that there was no time for a proper burial. So, they came with spices to complete the burial rites. Their beloved Jesus was dead. They could at least perform this one last act of love for him. But oh, their hearts must have been heavy. They must have thought their life with their Lord was over. His call to follow had been irresistible; their service with him exhilarating and freeing. But now he lay lifeless in a tomb. They had witnessed perfect love in Jesus, and the world had killed him. How could they reconcile all this?
But something amazing happens when the women reach the tomb. When they arrive at the tomb, they enter into the place of their deepest and darkest fears. They enter the very place of death. And, yet, what do they find when they enter this place of fear and death? Nothing. No body. Nothing.
We are told that they were perplexed when they did not find the body ~ which is understandable. They thought their life with Jesus was over and his dead body was the final coda. But the angels tell them that this is not the end of the story. They ask, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.”
Wow! Astounding, overwhelming, world-turning news! A total change of orientation. Why are you looking for the living among the dead? That was then, this is now, and now there is new life, resurrection life ahead. They hear the good news that Christ is risen from the dead, and they need to change from people who perform burial rites for the dead, to apostles who bear witness to the living Christ. They need to stop living in the past and start living in the future. They need to change from people who are bent over with fear, to people who stand up and boldly proclaim that: God’s life is stronger than any death; God’s love is stronger than any hate; God’s peace is more powerful than human violence; Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead and is alive.
Why are you looking for the living among the dead?
The good news of Easter is that Jesus Christ, who was crucified, has been raised from the dead. This belief, this truth, this resurrection changes everything. Cruelty is not the last word. Sin and evil are not the ultimate powers of the universe. Death does not get the final laugh. Forgiveness and love and life are the final and eternal realities of God’s world. The power of God is stronger than any tomb. Jesus Christ is risen today.
And the good news of Easter is not only that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead and lives, but also that the power of the resurrection can transform our lives as well. New life is possible, here, now, today. We can stop looking for the living among the dead. We can live new lives, here and now, by the power of the resurrection. BUT, it is not easy, is it? We rather like living in the past. It’s what we’re used to. It defines our comfort zone, even if it is an unhealthy one.
Several times during the course of Christian ministry, I had the privilege of being engaged in prison ministry. Always on a county level, I would go into the prison weekly to lead worship or Bible Study with the female inmates. I say those times locked behind bars were a privilege for me, because I realized often after hearing the stories that led to the incarceration of some, that any of us could be one bad decision away from spending months or years behind bars. Sure, there were many whose addictions had caused violent behavior, sale of narcotics, or larceny. Then there was one woman who was incarcerated for 11 months because she had been caught stealing at Walmart. Her daughter had MS, and the medications she was on made her constipated. After providing for her daughter’s care, there was no money left to purchase laxatives, and so she tried to steal them. The 11 month sentence seemed severe, but you see, she was a repeat offender. She had been caught stealing laxatives three other times. (By the way, that is why I donate laxatives to the food pantry.)
When beginning a new prison ministry in Wayne County, PA, I was required to go through an orientation session. This was led by the new activities director and release coordinator, who happened to be married to one of my parishioners. We connected easily and quickly, as it was clear that, while firmly believing in the necessity of the penal system, she wanted the best for the inmates, and hoped to play a role in lowering the percentage of repeat offenders. She explained to me that in order to help the inmates to break the cycle of criminal activity and incarceration, it was most helpful for two things to change in each one’s life. First, finding faith was critically important. And second, convincing the inmate of the need for a fresh start upon their release was the only way to escape going back to an unhealthy situation. Too many times, released inmates would go back to live in a home or work in an environment where there were still addictions among the other family members or co-workers, or where unhealthy relationships, peer pressure, or oppression caused these women to begin criminal activity all over again. Those truly transformed or reformed by finding faith and serving out their sentence, needed to find a healthy and supportive environment in which to start a new life. They needed to live within a community where forgiveness could be counted on, and abundant love would motivate positive self-esteem and behavior. They needed to have a mentor who would take the risk to believe in that person’s potential to lead a good and productive life! They needed to see Christian faith in action!
Isn’t that why Jesus was willing to die for us? Isn’t that why the resurrection is so powerful for us? Any one of us is one bad decision away from being thrown away by society. And yet, the risen Christ offers us forgiveness over and over again. The risen Christ gives us a fresh start each and every time. The risen Christ offers us New Life when others see us as a failure, a loser, a criminal, a waste of human flesh. The promise of Easter reminds us that when the human family executed Jesus, God resurrected eternal love and salvation.
The promise of Easter is that we don’t have to look for the living among the dead, even if living amongst death was our comfort zone. Even when the past is no longer life-giving, we seem to go back to it, thinking that maybe this time we’ll find something there. But the truth of the matter is that when we do so, we find the same old crummy, life-denying relationships and patterns of behavior: same old compulsions, same old angers, same old anxieties, same old fears. When we quit looking for the living among the dead, and focus on the future God has in store for us in our lives of faith, we find the power of the resurrection which allows us to let go of the past and start living in the future.
This truth of resurrection nonsense terrified the women on that first Easter day, and bewildered the men. What does it mean to us? Well, we can stop worrying about yesterday ~ we can stop looking for the living among the dead. We can claim a fresh start, a new lease on life that is given to us in the risen Christ, because our past is forgiven, and abundant life promised to us by Christ awaits. Why do we keep looking for the living among the dead? Jesus Christ is risen. He is alive. Alleluia! Amen