Sarah Napoline Thematic Preaching Fall 2011 Sermon 1: Easter The sabbath is over, and Jesus is dead. The sky is drenched with the first whispers of sunlight: a radiant peach, pink, red. The dark of the night is passing away as three women go to tend to their dear friend, now passed. There is a stone sealing the entrance to the tomb, and it is too large for three women to move, too large for even a strong man to move. They don't know how they will get in to see him, but these women go anyway, hoping for the best. But when they arrive at the tomb, somehow, miraculously-- the stone was rolled away. We know the rest of the story, how they find a man in white who tells them of Jesus' return, and how the women flee in terror. Mark ends the story with this curious miracle; we don't hear any more about the women, about the disciples, or even about Jesus. We are left with the image of the empty tomb with the stone rolled away. It is a familiar story, one well worn with years of telling and retelling. We know the story of the Last Supper, Good Friday, of the death of Jesus. Today we are pulling out our Easter dresses and sportcoats, and we celebrate the rebirth of spring, the unexpected return of Jesus, and a bunny delivering eggs filled with candy. Today is a day of celebration! Of joy! But the story starts dark and bleak; a man is murdered. But with the miracle of rolling that stone away and removing the barrier between Jesus and the world, hope is resurrected. So I ask you: What is the barrier in our lives? What is the stone, preventing us from reaching our fullest potential, from reaching our dreams? What will you be able to do when you are resurrected? In your hour of greatest need? When we shake off death, shake off barriers between ourselves and the world, we can make miracles happen. During this time of year, the earth is shaking off death. Our cold, long winters are the hibernation of the earth, the world resting and restoring itself for another bountiful summer. The equinox, both in the spring and the fall, marks the time of the year when the earth's axis is not inclined toward or away from the sun; they are the midpoints between the height of summer and the darkest days of winter. The vernal equinox has come and gone, and the turning of the seasons is slowly edging the world back to warmth. So we turn, slowly, with the earth, as it moves toward the light. The cycle of the year is ever-present, a steady rhythm of the seasons that directs our lives. Every year the earth shakes off the barrier of the dark chill of winter and emerges, resurrecting itself in the spring blossoms, green grass, and blooming trees. The earth is alive again, full of new birth and life beginning, finding creation out of darkness. At our moment of greatest need, when we find ourselves wasting away into cold and darkness,
the earth is resurrected. Can you smell the earth? Hear the birds? Can you feel the sunshine on your face? We are witness to the resurrection, rejoicing in the victory of the earth. So we have this natural parallel with the story from Mark; the earth is reborn each year, rolling back the stone of darkness and winter to embrace the coming of spring, the warmth of summer. For the earth, the barrier or stone is winter, a natural part of the cycle of the year. In the scripture, the stone is a physical barrier, blocking Jesus from the world. What is the stone in your life? What is the barrier keeping you from the fullness of being, from the height of your potential? "Stone" is a generic term for a piece of rock. It is the overlooked dirt underfoot, the detritus kicked loose from treads in our shoes, the chopped up pieces that create gravel and stone walls. We find stones at the beach, when we are camping, or even when we're walking down a city sidewalk. We pick them up when we travel to remind us of fond memories, or during moments of personal introspection, a worry-stone that can remind us of those life-changing moments. For such a simple object, a stone plays a very important role in the Gospel. In the story of Mark, the stone is not one of kindness, or nostalgia; it is a stone of purposeful separation. It seals the tomb. It separates the physical body of Christ from the rest of the world. Jesus has been murdered. God has left him; upon his death, Jesus cries out that his Abba, his Papa, has forsaken him. His lifeless body is taken and placed in a tomb and sealed away from the world. There is nothing but darkness. And then, in that moment of utter desperation, in the darkest of hours just before dawn, a miracle occurs. Somehow, the stone is rolled away. This stone, too unwieldy for a group of three women to move, was somehow shifted. The undefined miracle, the unanswered questions are left hanging. Who? How? Why? We will never know. But we know that the stone has been removed. It is rolled away. Amid the overwhelming miracles of resurrection, life, death, and hope, there is a small act of rolling the stone away, a miracle in and of itself. However it was performed, whoever started the momentum, removing that final barrier has changed the world. By opening that tomb, by letting the women come in to see the emptiness, Jesus was reunited with the world. The story of his life and death is very present in our lives, and the message of the stone rolling away is a conduit to that message. We read scripture on days like today to honor and celebrate our spiritual roots, and how this story has shaped the world. It is a story of overcoming against all odds. It is a miracle, initiated by what we do not know, but we know that the stone was rolled away. So what is the stone in your life? In all our lives? What is the barrier between us and our dreams?
There are so many things that keep us back. Fear of the future, unwillingness to give fully of ourselves, a desperate holding on to that which needs to be let go. We all have those things that are barriers to our full potential. Some things we cannot control and do our best to compensate for. But there are too many barriers that are simply engrained in us that we can change, that we can roll away. We can overcome our own barriers. Throughout my adolescence, I had always hoped to go abroad during my junior year in college. I was blessed with the opportunity to attend college and the additional privilege to consider studying abroad. It sounded amazing: an entire year in a different country, exploring the world. I researched different programs in France and England, but finally decided that I would rather stay at school. There were too many classes I needed to take, too much work to be done... But when it came down to it-- I was terrified. I didn't say so out loud, but that was the root of the problem. Under the surface, I was afraid of making such a big leap; not knowing who I would sit with at lunch, where to do laundry, how little I would see my family. So I stayed safe and sound in the United States. While I enjoyed my junior year at school, I soon knew that I had made a mistake. I had let my fears and irrational anxiety take over my dream of studying abroad. I was lucky enough to have another chance, and was able to apply for summer programs abroad. Though I was still scared, I took the leap, and spent a summer studying in London. By pushing my boundaries, by rolling back the barrier in my heart, I was able to experience an amazing summer that pushed me and helped me grow. Spending a summer abroad helped me to define my faith and my identity, and helped shape my adulthood. That summer was a turning point in my life, and by pushing past the barrier I had constructed, I changed my own life forever. I was the catalyst for change, for rebirth, and for the resurrection of hope and faith within myself. The story of Easter shows loyal followers of Jesus as they return to anoint him. On their way to the tomb, these women were fretting over a very real, deeply practical problem; this rock was HUGE. Mammoth. They couldn't move it, and they didn't know of anyone who would help them. How would they get inside? How were they to go in and anoint their friend and leader, to prepare him for burial? And yet. When they arrive at the tomb, they find that the stone had already been rolled away. Who rolled it away? Was it the guards? Was it God? A Mortal Jesus? the Risen Christ? We will never know, but all we know is that in that moment of resurrection, the last barrier was pulled aside. His tomb was on one side, and the world was on the other. Somehow, in that moment of great crisis, the stone was rolled away, opening up the potential for miracles. What is the stone in your life? What is the barrier preventing you from being the best person you can be? And is that barrier something we can change?
I saw a news article this week about a man named Daniel who has been blind all his life. 1 He uses his ears to see, like a bat: he clicks his tongue and then listens as that sound bounces off nearby objects. He is the founder of a nonprofit to teach what he calls "human echolocation" to blind people all over the world. He describes himself as a "reallife batman"; by using these clicking noises, he is able to enjoy his favorite hobby, hiking. While not everyone is able or interested in using this method, his successful students can ride mountain bikes, play basketball, and skateboard. He says he has been clicking his tongue to see for his entire life; his parents raised him as they would a sighted child, and he adapted to rise to the challenge. He now shares his knowledge with the world, helping people find their sight click by click. Daniel had a significant barrier in his life, preventing him from doing some of the things he loved, and keeping him dependent on others. He made the choice to remove that barrier, working hard to compensate for his lack of sight. He overcame what he saw as an obstacle, and he created his own miracle. Jesus wasn't a superhero. He wasn't from Krypton, or a mutant, or bitten by some magic spider. He was here, on earth, as a human. Miracles happened all around him, every day, and he changed people's lives with just a word, just a touch. But he lived, and died, as a human. Whatever comes in the story after the stone is rolled away is more complex, to be sure-- but he was human while he was here. And he created his own miracles. The very earth that sustains us rolls past the barrier of winter's frost to share the joy of spring, and reawakens the blooming flower. When I rolled away the barrier to my heart, when I recognized that fear was holding me back, I was able to overcome that barrier to achieve my dream. I rolled away the stone of fear and anxiety and was rewarded with the world. Daniel has spent his entire life without sight. But by learning echolocation, and through his own self awareness and determination, he has overcome a significant obstacle in his path, and shares that wisdom with the world. What is your opportunity to roll back a barrier? What is in your life that is an obstacle between yourself and the world, between yourself and your fullest potential? Dear friends: What will you be able to do when you are resurrected? In your hour of great need? Will you teach yourself to see? 1 John Sutter, Blind man uses his ears to see, CNN.com, November 11, 2011, http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/09/tech/innovation/daniel-kish-poptechecholocation/index.html.
Will you reawaken the flower within yourself? Will you roll the stone away? May we roll back the barriers within ourselves so we may reach our fullest potential, and so that we may support others on their journey. May we roll back the stone of our hearts to reunite with the world. May the example of Jesus continue to inspire us to live to that fullest potential every day of our short, beautiful lives. And may we share those lives joyfully with one another. Blessed be, shalom aleichem, and Amen.