CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
O most Gracious and merciful God, we greet you at this early hour awed by the miracle of today. Our beloved Savior loved to walk and talk with you in the early hours before the dawn. It was in these peaceful moments that he opened his heart to you, where he pondered his work and his mission. Let this be something we do as well. Let is ponder our work and mission on this Easter morning. In the empty tomb, without uttering a single word, you have proclaimed that with you all things are possible. Today you challenge us to discard our mourning clothes and be transformed among the disciples of Jesus who carry on his work. Empower us to proclaim this glorious Good News, in word and deed. Lord God, today you have swallowed up death and offered, in its place, life everlasting. In the resurrection you have not only opened wide the gates of paradise, but our eyes, to see the brightness of a new day. Our Abba Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Luke 24:1-12
The Resurrection of Jesus
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The 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. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But 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.
SERMON TEXT
The women followers of Jesus rose at early dawn to go to the tomb where they had seen Joseph of Arimathea hurriedly place the body of Jesus on Friday afternoon just before sundown. It was the day of preparation for the
Sabbath. Now keeping the day of Sabbath was a Commandment from the Lord spoken of in Exodus 16. It was no day to be trifled with. No work was to be done, which is why on the 6th day (Friday) the people prepared for it. A story is told in the book of Numbers about a man who was found gathering sticks in the wilderness on the Sabbath day, probably to build a fire. His neighbors put him to death. Talk about the letter of the Law.
It is doubtful that the women followers of Jesus spent any time grocery shopping on Friday to prepare for the Sabbath. Rules or no rules they returned to their lodgings to prepare the spices and ointments they would bring back to the tomb to anoint the dead body of Jesus properly.
The ointments and spices used to cover up the smell of decay were Balsam, myrrh, cinnamon, cassia, were used in the preparation of the holy anointing oil. Myrrh and aloes were used in ointments for burial. Myrrh was described by Matthew as one of the gifts given to the infant Jesus by the Magi. Myrrh was also used as an anesthetic and in Mark’s gospel it was in the drink that was offered to Jesus when he was crucified. Spikenard a very expensive fragrant oil used in the manufacture of perfumes and ointments.
They came to the tomb prepared to do their work. When Joseph placed Jesus in the tomb, nothing is said about him placing a stone over the opening, so there is perhaps an editorial glitch here, since the women when they arrive at the tomb find the stone rolled away from the entrance. Still with the task at hand on their minds, they enter the tomb, perhaps thinking that Joseph would be inside waiting to assist them in their work. Finding the tomb emptied of its contents, they were perplexed. Now the Greek word used in the passage is ἀπορέω – aporeho which has a bit stronger meaning than our modern day thinking about the word perplexed. To us perplexed connotes head scratching. But aporeho means: to be without resources, to be in straits, to be left wanting, to be embarrassed, to be in doubt, not to know which way to turn to be at a loss with one's self. Sounds to me more like being on the verge of panic. Their doubts and panic were interrupted by the appearance of two men, and I am pretty sure Luke wants us to remember the two men that were with Jesus on the day of his transfiguration. There he was accompanied by Moses and Elijah. I am pretty sure Luke wants us to figure these same two men have appeared to the women. Their clothes are dazzling as on the mount of transfiguration. The women were now not just panicked, they were terrified and so bowed their faces to the ground. They did that to protect themselves in case they might be looking upon the face of God. Everyone in those days knew that if you looked upon the face of God you would surely die.
The two men, asked “Why do look for the living among the dead?” He is not here, but has risen.” The two men know why they are there and who they have come looking for without the women uttering a word. At that question I wonder if the women didn’t sputter out something like: Now wait just a minute we were here on Friday when Joseph wrapped him up in the linen cloth and placed him in this very tomb. We saw it, we were witnesses to Jesus’ burial. Which then would have prompted the next remark by the two men: “Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” Then they remembered Jesus’ words. If there is ever any doubt about the women being part of Jesus’ inner circle that doubt is abolished by these words of Luke. The women remembered what Jesus said because they heard him speak those words. In that moment they left the tomb and returned to the eleven and all the rest –that is everyone who came up from Galilee with Jesus, which could be as many as 120 persons.
The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna the wife of Chuza, Mary the mother of James and the other women with them told the apostles and all the rest. There weren’t three women at the tomb, there were more than that. Susanna who is also mentioned by name in Luke’s gospel may have been with them, and perhaps the sisters Mary and Martha. Suffice it to say there were plenty of women who witnessed the empty tomb and the two men that only Peter James and John had seen on the Mount of Transfiguration.
So you and I on this day, along with the eleven and all the rest depend upon the account of the women witnesses to the empty tomb. Those who heard their story that day are no different from those of us who hear the story today. Today there are those who think it an idle tale, far-fetched and unbelievable like the eleven and all the rest and there are those like Peter who have been longing to hear something so extraordinary that it could cause him to get up and extricate himself from the darkness of his own thoughts and run to the tomb, stooping and looking in, to see the linen cloths by themselves and be amazed. We like Peter and the women are not only invited to be amazed. God urges us to be.
In just about every other language other than English this day is called the Pascha, which is the day of the fulfillment and realization of the Jesus’ Passion. Pascha is the transliteration of the word Pesach or Passover in Hebrew. Jesus as the Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Jesus the Pascha is risen today and urges us to rise like Peter out of our darkness of his mourning and to breathe relief and new life into our souls.
Amen.
Rev. Dr. Amanda J. Burr
March 27, 2016 Sunrise
