Text: Mark
16:1-8
Easter,
Aldersgate
I.
The tomb is
empty
a.
Early in the morning after the Sabbath
i.
Same women who
had been at crucifixion and burial made way back to the tomb
ii.
going to anoint
body with spices in traditional manner
iii.
one last gift
that they could give to the Jesus, who was dead
iv.
wondering about
the stone
1.
that would close off the grave
2.
and keep them from performing the ritual
b.
but “the stone was rolled back”
i.
passive voice to
avoid speaking directly about God
ii.
in English, we
miss this nuance
iii.
From the
beginning, original audience knew that God had rolled back the stone
c.
The tomb is empty
i.
This emptiness
expresses futility of trying to possess Jesus
ii.
The frustration
of every quest for historical Jesus
iii.
To see Jesus we
must look ahead
iv.
d.
Young Man who speaks to the women reminds them
i.
Traditionally
identified as a messenger
1.
Euangeleous - root of word for angel, one who delivers good news
2.
The message, his announcement, is the dramatic
reversal of a tragic narrative
a.
women did not believe
b.
frightened by the experience – when is the last time you had
saw angelic appearance?
3.
looking for risen Christ in the wrong place
a.
we do the same thing
b.
messenger tell us Jesus not in a dead tomb
c.
going before you to
II.
Make your own
ending
a.
The women who had followed Christ all the way, now
have failed him
i.
Many believe
these women had traveled with him along with men who are named
ii.
We know they had
been at the foot of the cross
1.
faithful to the end
2.
yet now they fail him, by thinking it was the end
iii.
Heard the
message, but did not pass it on to disciples
iv.
They had been
faithful, now flee from the tomb
1.
in astonishment
2.
with fear and trembling
b.
So what happened?
How do we know the story?
i.
It seemed that
the crucifixion was the end. Not!
ii.
It now seems
that this report of the resurrection will be the end of the story, ending in
their silence. Not!
iii.
The end of
Mark’s gospel
1.
the first gospel to be written
2.
these verses, the most reliable ending
a.
documented by the earliest and best of ancient
manuscripts
b.
call for the reader to add an ending
3.
perhaps that is why later manuscripts copied by
redactors added a second and third ending
4.
yet, it’s really for each generation of readers to
add their ending
c.
each must travel to
i.
No closure in
the gospel of the resurrection, for Christian life stance is one of expectancy
ii.
“Always [Jesus]
goes before us; always he beckons forward to a new appearance in the
III.
a.
today’s gospel invites us into
i.
geographic term
functions literally and metaphorically
1.
The place of their ordinary lives
2.
Locus of mission to the nations
3.
Home front
4.
Place of daily routine
5.
The place that is on the fringes of Roman influence
a.
less of a presence of authority and power
b.
allowed for more diversity
b.
Jesus invites us to find him in the diversity of our
post modern world
i.
in the mix of
the secular and sacred
ii.
a world where
Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, and Christian live side by side
iii.
and yet one
third of our neighbors practice no faith
1.
how do we invite others to see the living Christ
2.
on Tuesday, visited the State House
a.
spoke with Senator Susan Fargo @ health care
b.
she shared about some of her concerns @ several
difficult issues
c.
at the end Senator Fargo commented that our
conversation was a little depressing
d.
I asked her if we could pray?
e.
We did
i.
thanking God for
leading legislature to act
ii.
thanking God for
courage of Senator Fargo and her colleagues
f.
she told me it
was the first time anyone had ever prayed for her
iv.
Jesus invites us
to find him in
1.
that’s where you will find him
2.
beyond these doors
3.
out on the streets in our daily lives
4.
as we love our enemies
5.
treat our neighbors courteously and fairly
6.
seek to comfort lost and forlorn
c.
As a kid, I used to watch TV episodes of wagon train
i.
Sign on one or
two “
ii.
Never saw the
train arrive, always on the go
1.
week after week
2.
episode after episode
3.
making way to
iii.
makes me wonder
if there really was a
1.
oh I know there was
2.
but did they know
iv.
they must have
had faith that there was a
d.
Jesus invites us to accept faith
i.
get into one of
those wagon trains headed for
1.
2.
step with faith into
3.
believing that the risen Christ goes before you
ii.
faith is a
question of making decision
1.
can’t logically convince you
2.
up to you to accept the grace that God offers
a.
let go of the past – some of you have some stuff
that’s holding you back
b.
take hold of the promise of the future, because all
of you have great promise in the future
e.
decide for faith and you will meet him
i.
take a leap of
faith
ii.
go out to
1.
the places of our daily lives
2.
the places that are on the fringes of society
iii.
find him
1.
and become symbols and signs of him
2.
that others might look and see
iv.
music is much
more powerful than the most convincing argument – listen and believe