St. Paul’s Church in
Bergen, Jersey City NJ
March 27, 2016
Easter Day
Acts 10:34-43
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
1 Corinthians
15:19-26
John 20:1-18
Wiping Away Our Tears
and Expecting Resurrection
Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
It’s
Easter morning and once again we are back in a garden.
We’re
back in a garden, back where everything began, back where everything got messed
up, back where Jesus was betrayed, back at what seemed to be a place of only sin,
defeat and death.
We
were last in a garden on Good Friday when Jesus’ dead body was laid in the
tomb.
We
were last in a garden on Good Friday when some of us – people from many
different churches – walked through the streets of Jersey City, making our Stations
of the Cross Procession, stopping and praying at places of violence and death
in our community.
We
made our way up and down the streets of what had once been God’s beautiful
garden, which we have perverted into places of cracked concrete, steel gates,
iron bars, shattered glass, places of broken hearts and bloody stains and
haunting fear – God’s beautiful garden that we’ve reduced to the garden of sin,
defeat, and, death.
We
carried the cross through those streets.
We
carried shirts bearing the names of the 29 people murdered in Jersey City since
last January – the young and the not so young, the innocent and the quite
guilty.
We
prayed and sang and splashed holy water on those Jersey City streets.
We
did all of that because we are expecting
resurrection.
We
are expecting resurrection!
Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Long
ago, Mary Magdalene returned to the garden, back at the tomb in the darkness of
early morning, where, to her horror, she discovered that the stone had been
removed from the tomb.
A
horrible experience – the betrayal, torture and death of her Lord – seems to
have just gotten even worse.
She
runs and gets the Beloved Disciple and Peter but they don’t know what to make
of this scene – they’re no help at all – and so the men head back home.
But,
not Mary Magdalene - she stays at the empty tomb, weeping.
What
else can she do, right?
But,
then, right there in the garden, right there in the place of sin, defeat, and
death, right there in the garden, Mary first encounters the two angels.
They
ask what seems to be a stupid, even cruel question: “Why are you weeping?”
And
then, a man who Mary mistakes for the gardener appears, asking the same,
seemingly cruel, question.
The
man who seems to be the gardener calls her by name, “Mary!”
And,
suddenly Mary hears. She sees. She knows!
“Rabbouni!”
Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Over
all these centuries there’s been a lot of speculation about why Mary Magdalene
didn’t at first recognize the risen Jesus.
Some
have said, well, it was early morning, so it was still dark. Or, perhaps the
rising sun was in her eyes, blinding her to the sight of Jesus.
Others
have said that the Risen Christ was mysteriously transformed, making him hard
to recognize at first glance.
Others
have said, she couldn’t see Jesus through her tears. I’m sure many of us have
had the experience of crying so hard that for a time we are unable to see
clearly.
Those
are all very believable, very sensible, explanations, but I think the most fundamental
explanation is that, in the garden, in that place of sin, defeat, and death, in
her weeping with great sadness and despair, Mary Magdalene just didn’t expect to see Jesus.
Mary
Magadalene wasn’t expecting resurrection.
Mary
Magdalene wasn’t expecting resurrection and neither were Peter and the Beloved
Disciple who look into the empty tomb and head home in confusion and despair,
and neither were the other disciples including Thomas who won’t believe until
he sees the wounds in Jesus’ hands and side.
No,
Mary Magdalene and the other disciples weren’t expecting resurrection. They weren’t
expecting Jesus.
But,
let’s not be too hard on Mary and the other disciples. They had just been
through a horribly traumatic experience, watching their Lord betrayed and
humiliated and killed, dead and buried.
And,
let’s not forget, most of them had their own issues, their own guilt, to deal
with since most of the disciples had abandoned Jesus, even denied Jesus, in his moment of need.
They
can be forgiven for not expecting resurrection, right?
But,
we – we should know better.
We
are here this morning because, despite our doubts and uncertainties, despite
the pain in our own lives and the sorrows of our messed up world where people
blow up themselves and others in airports and train stations and people are
gunned down on our streets, despite all of that and more we are here because we
are expecting resurrection!
And,
we don’t have to believe it, because
if we wipe away the tears from our eyes, we can see the Resurrection of Christ right here in this garden.
On
Friday as we made our way up and down those streets, yes, it was Good Friday
but I’ll let you in on a little secret: it was already Easter.
The
fact that, on a day that threatened rain, 100+ people spent much of the morning,
praying and singing and blessing – the fact that so many people cared enough to
give up their time in less than ideal conditions – the fact that so many people
remembered all of those who have been killed while most of our city has simply
forgotten and moved on – the fact that some of us made those shirts and hung
them on our church gates - the fact that we were there – my friends,
that was Resurrection – that was a powerful sign of new life.
Expecting
resurrection. Expecting Jesus.
Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
We
don’t have to believe it, because if
we wipe away the tears from our eyes, we can see the Resurrection of Christ right here in this garden.
We
see the Resurrection right here at St. Paul’s, where just a few years ago our
church had become small and quiet, so small and quiet that some people wondered
if we were going to make it - and
some in the neighborhood even thought we were closed already.
Let’s
wipe the tears from our eyes and look at what God has done in this
garden – where each week more and more people are fed in their bellies and in
their souls – and more and more of us are bringing God’s love into the
community!
Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
We
see the Resurrection right here in Jersey City as hundreds and hundreds of
people from more than 30 congregations have begun to organize, despite our
differences have begun to unite,
demanding safe streets and decent schools and affordable housing for all of our
people.
Let’s
wipe the tears from our eyes and look at what God is doing in this
garden!
Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
And,
here at St. Paul’s, we are doubly blessed today because we are about to see resurrection
once again, right here in this garden.
In just a few minutes as Michael and
Jay, these grown men who have made this big decision all on their own, will
take the plunge into the water of Baptism.
Right
back there at the font, their old selves are going to die with Christ and then
they will come up out of the water born anew, part of the Body of Christ
forever – right back there, so make sure you get a good look!
And
there’s nothing – not sin, not even death itself - that can separate Mike and
Jay – or any of us – from the love of Christ.
Michael
and Jay, my friends, all of us, expect resurrection! Expect Jesus!
So,
let’s wipe the tears from our eyes and take a good look at what God has done –
what God is doing – what God is about to do – right here in this garden!
Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Amen!
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