He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! He is risen indeed! Easter is finally here and we sing alleluia and shout he is risen! These past weeks of Lent, our worship life has seemed empty without the alleluias. Worship has been simpler with no Kyrie or Hymn of Praise. On Holy Thursday, we stripped the altar leaving it empty of everything. On Good Friday, the cross and paschal candle were carried out and the world was empty of Jesus for he died on the cross. Outside the church building and liturgical practices, we have been bombarded with emptiness, too as we read the headlines and saw an empty airport in Brussels, an abandoned train station after terrorist bombings. And seared into our brains are the empty stares of those at the airport and train station when the bombs went off. It s hard these days not to feel emptiness and despair as terrorist bombings continue, as accidental shootings and murder rates continue to rise. And, somewhere today, too, grieving people are making their way to an empty tomb that will no longer be empty. It was some women who rose early that long ago morning, took spices and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away, the tomb empty and they were perplexed. Then two men in dazzling clothes appeared and told them that this empty was a good thing. The women are terrified and turn toward the ground, hiding their faces. The men in dazzling clothes remind them that Jesus had told them he would be handed over to sinners, be crucified and on the third day rise On the third day he would rise, and, so of course, the tomb would be empty. They run back to tell the 11 remaining disciples and the others. 1
However, the women, Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary the mother of James are unconvincing witnesses and they are dismissed as telling an idle tale. The apostles did not believe them. But, Peter Peter went and saw for himself that the tomb was empty, save for the linen clothes. He went home, amazed at what had happened. Maybe you re here today feeling as empty as the tomb the women encountered, beaten down by life s experiences. Or maybe you re not sure how to understand a recent turn of events in your life, events which make you wonder if there is a God. Or maybe you feel empty because you aren t believed, because your experiences aren t validated. Maybe you re feeling empty because for too, too long you ve been told in little and big ways that you don t matter, that you re inferior, treated like you are less than human. Or, maybe you ve run here, like Peter ran to the tomb, to see for yourself, maybe just daring to hope and willing to be amazed. Maybe you feel empty because all of this leaves you unmoved, unsure that you believe any of it. Today it might seem an easy conclusion: Jesus is not there. That means Jesus had risen and lives. It might seem easy to realize the significance of that activity given the centuries and generations of believers since the first day. But on that day, the women had gone to the tomb with spices, believing that Jesus was dead, 2
expecting the tomb to be filled with his body, and they were unsure what to do, understand or believe at not finding him there. They did not immediately run from the tomb shouting, Alleluia, he is risen! They were confused. They did not know what to think. They couldn t have known the effect that would have on their lives. They didn t know how an empty tomb, how the resurrection would change them, but it did change them. It made them a people of God 1. A people of God that spread the word of Christ crucified and risen because God loved the world, the whole world and everybody in it. These disciples became a people of God that performed miracles, healed those around them and brought many to faith. And, that s really the question for us today: what difference does the cross and resurrection make for us? How does it change us? What difference do the cross and resurrection make as we look at the empty Brussels airport this week? What difference does Jesus make when coming home to an empty house after the funeral of a loved one or a divorce hearing? What does a risen Jesus mean to the parents whose house has an empty bedroom because their child was killed? 1 Honig, James K. Because Resurrection is More Than a Metaphor; Blog post 3/25/2016. 3
In the midst of years of racism and oppressive institutions, what difference does an empty tomb make? What does a risen Christ mean to a life of emptiness and pain? The tomb was empty. And that was good news. Easter is the day that God emptied God s very self poured Godself into the world. Into an empty and sinful world, God released love and forgiveness. Just as God was at work in the death of Jesus, God is at work in the midst of everything causing death to us. Just as God was on the cross with Jesus, God is in the airport of Brussels, the mosques in Nigeria, the bombings in Turkey working to bring life in the midst of death. On Easter, God released a love that pursues each and every one of us no matter what we ve done, no matter what has been done to us, no matter what we have been through. And, God has unfathomable depths of love and forgiveness. God s love and forgiveness will never run out, will never become empty. Love and forgiveness to fill the empty parts of our hearts and life. Love and forgiveness to fill the broken and empty relationships. Love and forgiveness to fill the world that seems to be falling apart at every turn. One theologian said the cross shows God s love and the resurrection lets us know we can trust God, 4
that God s love is never-ending 2. The cross and resurrection are signs of God s love that continually seeks us out for mercy and healing. On this day, we hear that no emptiness is too great for God to fill. The emptiness in your heart is not forever. The emptiness left by hurt and anger cannot be empty forever. Hurt, anger, oppression, fear, hatred, greed these are the ways of death and these are what God sought to put to death on the cross 3. God working in everything, God working in us, fills us with love and mercy and transforms us to be God s people through whom God works to bring this love and forgiveness to others. That is the promise and strength that we hold in our hands when we receive the body and blood of Jesus at Holy Communion. Let us today and every day live as God s people as if the defeat of all that is evil and sinful has already occurred. Amen. 2 3 Honig, James K. Because Resurrection Is More Than a Metaphor. Blog Post 3/25/2016. 5