St. John’s Lutheran Church, Toluca, IL – Easter Sunday
Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; 1 Corinthians 15:19-26; Luke 24:1-12
Gospel: Luke 24:1-12
1On the first day of the week, at early dawn, [the women] came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8Then they remembered his words, 9and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
NRSV
The Egg Hidden in The Garden
Christ is Risen!
Grace and peace to you, beloved of God, from our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ is risen indeed! Today especially is a glorious day. A day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad. Alleluia! It’s been a long time since we gathered around Christ’s table to celebrate the rise of our Savior and remember the story of Jesus’ courageous and loving sacrifice for all of us.
I wonder if the special circumstances of Easter this year are causing my sense of disconnection between what we feel today and the emotions experienced by the first witnesses of the resurrection to be higher than ever before. We are joyful and relieved. Some of us shared a delicious breakfast earlier today. Others may depart for more celebrations later. Furthermore, the weather is getting nicer. It is awesome! We are happy! The first witnesses of the resurrection, on the other hand, not so much. The women were certainly still in grief, as were the rest of the disciples. It is understandable, everything considered. Then, on top of it, they find the tomb empty.
When I was a kid, back in the eighties, watching Jesus of Nazareth on TV, I remember being happy and joyful at this part of the story. Then, as an 8-year-old, I got confused. Why aren’t you guys happy. Why do you cry? I don’t understand! He is risen!
I was fresh out of catechism and knew the whole story. That certainly explains. Still, the collective reaction to the empty tomb is despair, doubt, disbelief, and paralysis by fear. I get it, some forty years later. I have realized that we don’t react very well to things we do not understand. The same goes for brutal transforming events that rob us of everything we knew to be dear and true.
Perhaps, there is no better biblical verse to embody these feelings of confusion and dread than “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” How many times have we recited the first words of Psalm 22 in one way or another? After everything, if there was ever a time when the women and the other disciples cried out these words in agony, the sight of only linen cloths left behind would be a good one. Even the body to grieve over and fulfill their traditions was taken away. However, they were yet to realize the size of the gift they just received.
In recent times, the term Easter egg is no longer reserved for those hidden all over the house or the yard to later be hunted by family and friends gathering to celebrate Easter Sunday. Its meaning in popular culture has evolved to represent pretty much anything concealed, sometimes in plain sight, that, when discovered, brings joy and gladness to the one who finds it.
What if I told you that an Easter egg is carefully placed at the end of Psalm 22?
It is not by coincidence that in the passion narrative, Jesus is arrested, then laid to rest in a new, never used tomb, both in a garden. Those are references to the place where everything began. The garden where the first human beings disconnected from God and felt shame. Where our relationship with our God was broken for the first time. It was not until the events following the empty tomb’s discovery that such a relationship could be fully restored.
See, God did his part at the cross. God came down to us in the form of his son, and we, beloved disciples, fell in love with him all over again. Then God forsook himself to take the weight of all our iniquities and died in human form so we could be alive again. Many of us often question God’s choice of events. That is OK. We are mere mortals, after all. But here goes a guess for one of the reasons why God chose this way. He left us a magnificent Easter egg. After the psalmist laments over all the distress he faces comes the prophecy that all the descendants of God’s faithful shall remember what the Lord has done, then move to proclaim his deeds for generations to come. God died at the cross so we could find this treasure and walk each other into everlasting life!
Beloved disciples, this is the size of the amazing gift of grace poured upon us, hidden under dread and disappointment and waiting to bring unspeakable restoration and joy to anyone who finds it. Yes, they were once overwhelmed by despair, doubt, disbelief, and fear. However, the resurrection witnesses eventually discovered the treasure and proclaimed the story of God’s deliverance to the whole world to hear. The newly created community of living stones would never be silenced.
Thanks to them, here we are. Once dead, now alive, rejoicing and being glad. It might be scary sometimes. We don’t always know what comes next. However, every moment of resurrection in our lives, every time life begins anew, is an opportunity to rediscover the joy we feel today, confident and unafraid, empowered by the courage and the love of our Savior.
It is our turn now. May the Spirit of new life propel us today, tomorrow, and beyond to tell everyone the story of what Jesus’ has done for us, even to those yet unborn, until we meet again in the garden where all begin, fully reunited in the glorious presence of the Lord our God. What a gift that is.
Christ is risen!
Bridging Faith 