“An Idle Tale?”

Luke 24:1-11

April 11, 2004

Easter Sunday

Saint Paul United Methodist Church

Rev. John Fleming

Just this week, I heard the story about the woman who visited a very traditional church and their very formal worship service. Let us say that it was a United Methodist Church. I have learned that if you are going to tell tales on a church, it is best to tell them on your own, especially on a day like today when we have visitors. So this woman walked through the front doors of this United Methodist Church, in time for the formal, 10:45 a.m., worship service. An usher handed her a bulletin and she found a seat on the right hand side of the church, about half way towards the front. The church was friendly. People on both sides of her, in front of her and behind her, greeted her and welcomed her to their church. Then it came time for the worship service to begin. The preacher stood up, greeted the congregation, made an announcement or two and then sat down as the organist began the prelude. The choir made their way to the choir loft, and the preacher stood back up, asked the congregation to stand and to sing the opening hymn. I cannot tell you what that hymn was, but it was a moving one. It was one whose beat was fast and whose words were powerful. There is a detail in this story that I think I should now tell you. This woman, this visitor, was not raised in a formal and traditional church. In fact, she was raised in a church exactly opposite of that. You and I, both of us know that there is no right way or wrong way to worship. I am just giving you the details of this story. So when the music that was powerful to her was played and sung, she went back to her roots. Her hands went up in the air. She sung at the top of her lungs and after a verse or two, she began shouting, “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord” Everyone around her was watching her. Some even turned around to see what was happening. Finally after a few minutes of her doing this, the head usher, in his suit, went down to where she was. He whispered in her ear, “Ma’am please be quiet. We do not worship that way. You are disrupting the service!” The woman said to him, “I can’t help it! I can’t help it! I’ve found Jesus!” The usher looked back at her and said, “Well, ma’am, you didn’t find Him here!”

On this Easter Sunday, perhaps the most important question that we should ask is this one, “Where will we find Jesus today? Will we find him here in our church?” I would like for us to put that question up on a shelf for a few minutes and come back to it later in our sermon. This morning I would like for us to once again walk with the women to the tomb where Jesus has been since Friday. This year I want us to look at Luke’s version of the story. Since Friday, Jesus has been in this tomb, awaiting a proper burial. That is the reason that these women made their way to where they were sure Jesus was. They just knew that he was where they had left him. After all, there is no reason to think that he would be anywhere else. Could it be that it is the same for us? Could it be that we expect Jesus to still be in the tomb? Do we really expect to find Jesus here today? Or have we come to expect the same thing from church each week and each Easter?

I heard the story of the man who wished that he went to church more. He had great intentions and a few good excuses. What usually happened is that he was active in his church on either side of Christmas and Easter. He was in church one Easter Sunday morning. He stood in line with everyone else as they greeted their pastor following the service. When it was his turn to greet his pastor, he said, “Preacher, I think that you are in a rut. Every time I come to church you preach about the resurrection!” The preacher just smiled. Do things change? What have we come to expect on Easter?

Today, in the early hours, we get the chance to walk to the tomb with Joanna, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and the other women. These women go to the tomb out of a sense of duty. They are there with spices to prepare Jesus’ body for a proper burial. They are there with their disappointed hopes and their dashed dreams. We walk with them and so we can see that when they arrive, something is different. If you were there on that first Easter, you would have arrived to a surprise. From where we are, can you see that the tone is rolled away from Jesus’ temporary burial place? The stone is rolled away; it is to the side. Walk a little closer and you will see another surprise. The body of Jesus is not inside the tomb. It is supposed to be there, but it is not.

Like a lot of the world, I have seen Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ. As you know, the movie chronicles the last hours of Jesus’ life. Susie and I went to see the movie, in part, because I thought people would want to know my opinion of it. When asked, I have said, “I wish that it had a little more Easter in it.” The movie’s last scene, which lasts less than a minute, is an Easter scene. We are an Easter people. We walk to the tomb this morning like we have hundreds of times and arrive at a surprise. If you can, I would like for you to imagine how those women, the first ones who saw the stone rolled away and Jesus’ body missing, felt. Most likely, for a moment or two, they are not afraid. I think that their first reaction must have been one of confusion. Maybe they asked themselves, “What is going on here? Why is the stone there? And where is Jesus’ body?” They are looking for Jesus where they had left him last. Could it be that they are looking for Jesus in the wrong place?

As it turns out, where they are is not a tomb at all. It is a meeting place for angels and an intersection between heaven and earth. When the women arrive, they walk in and are startled by the presence of two men, whose clothes were dazzling white. Actually the word startled does not describe how they felt. Luke uses a different descriptive word. Luke tells us that they were terrified. Luke also tells us that their faces bowed to the ground. Now, if you have been around angels for any length of time, of if you have noticed how they operate in the Bible, then you know that normally they are non-confrontational. Usually they are kind. Most of the time, when they encounter some one, the first words out of their mouths are, “Do not be afraid.” Turn back twenty-two chapters in this gospel and you will see an angel appearing to shepherds who were tending their flocks. They were there to announce the birth of this Jesus. The first words out of their mouths were these, “Do not be afraid; for see‑‑I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people...” Maybe the angels in the tomb botched their lines. Perhaps they forgot what they were supposed to say. Maybe they forgot their class, Angeling 101. Or maybe they got it right. Their words were not comforting, they were challenging. The angels asked the women, and consequently, us, too: “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he is risen! Don’t you remember what he told you?” I think that that is just amazing. I hope that you did not miss that the angels placed these women in the inner circle of the disciples. The angels are assuming that these women had heard Jesus predict his arrest, death, and resurrection. This is just like Luke. His gospel comes as a word for everyone. That is the reason that he appears first to shepherds and not dignitaries. This Jesus is for everyone, including these women. These women were there when Jesus was arrested, when he was crucified, and when he was buried. And now they are here, at his resurrection. I think that it is an amazing fact that Luke would include these women. But not only that, I am amazed that these women believed even before they saw the resurrected Jesus. Luke will not have Jesus appearing in this gospel until Easter day has come and gone. On Easter evening, while two of his disciples are walking to a place called Emmaus, he appears to them and is made known to them in the breaking of bread. These women believe that Jesus is alive before they see him. And I just have to ask us this morning, “Do we believe that Jesus is alive?” Or does it seem more like a myth or a tale, like the one about the little boy who flushed his baby, pet alligator. And now that alligator is grown and living underneath the city. On this Easter Sunday, do we believe that Jesus has been resurrected? Do we believe that death has been swallowed up in victory? Do we believe that life can be better than it is? Or we more like the philosopher Charlie Brown. Yes, that Charlie Brown who once said this, “I’ve developed a new philosophy. I only dread one day at a time.”

Do we really believe in the resurrection or do we think that it is just an idle tale? The church calendar is set up in such a way that for the next couple of weeks we will hear stories of those who saw Jesus after his resurrection. We will look at Thomas’ story next Sunday. Poor Thomas. We remember him as Doubting Thomas because he was not there when Jesus first appeared to his disciples. He heard their testimony, but then said, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” Jesus appears again, this time for Thomas’ benefit and says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” In John’s version of the resurrection, Mary goes to the tomb. She goes with tears in her eyes, hoping that something has changed. She, too, looks for the body of Jesus but to no avail. When she does not find it, she goes up to a man who she thinks is the gardener. When he calls her name, Mary sees and believes.

Maybe it is like this. Maybe Jesus appears first to those who loved him. He said to them, “You do not have to be afraid.” Or, “Peace be with you.” I am not sure how it is for you this morning. I have not seen the marks in his hands or found him in a garden, but I have found him in a lot of ways and in many places. I have found him in scripture lessons. I have discovered him in grape juiced soaked bread. I have encountered him in a loving church like this one and in the friends that I have. But I also know this, just as many times as I have found him, he also, has found me. He has found me in ways that I could have never imagined. He has found me in places I had shut him out of. He has found me in places I never could have dreamed of. And as much as I hate to admit this, sometimes I have missed his being with me. We do not have the time to speak of all the ways and in all of the places that we have recognized the risen Christ in our lives. I will mention a couple. He comes to us when the sermon connects and when the call comes. Sometimes he comes to us in kind words and wonderful gestures. Jesus is always with us, always walking beside us, and hoping that we will recognize him. Thinking about it now, if I gave you the chance, I bet that you could look back at your life and think about all of the people who have been Christ for you. Maybe it was your wife or your husband, your mother or your father, your pastor or youth minister, or maybe your best friend. If that is the case call them today and let it be your Easter gift to them.

But, on the other hand, I think that there are times when we do not recognize Jesus. Maybe we are afraid to. Perhaps there are times when believing terrifies us. It is easy to proclaim Jesus on a day like today when the sun is shining, the church is full, and our faith is sure. It is harder on other days. I wonder what would happen if Jesus appeared here this morning, in our church. That be great! What would happen if he walked in the front door, was handed a bulletin, worshiped with us, and then went home with us. What would happen if he was with us not just for our Easter lunch, but for a week or so? What would you say to Jesus? Would you offer any apologies? Would you be different at work? And what about at home? Would you act differently there, too? I am not trying to make you feel bad this morning. I am not trying to make me feel bad this morning. I just want us to believe that Jesus is risen and I want us to live as if he has.

If you believe it, and I know that you do, then everything changes. If you believe it, you change. If you believe it, you lose excuses. If you believe it, life can be better. I know these words sound lofty. I did not say that our circumstances change. They do not. We are not promised that. But how we respond to our circumstances can change, if we take this resurrected life seriously. If you believe it, you might be able to let go of the despair that you feel in the deep places of your soul. Perhaps you could let go of some grudge, something that you have been wanting to forgive forever. If we believe that Jesus is risen, then nothing is locked down. If death does not have the last word, then it cannot hold you.

But today, we stand with the women near the tomb and we hear the challenge of the angels in their glowing robes. And we have a choice? Do we believe all this, or is this just an idle tale? Do we keep looking inside the tomb for the things that we have lost or do we move to a resurrected life? I would like to say that I think that there are some dead places inside all of us. Most of us have lost something. Maybe that something is a dream that cannot be born again, or a relationship that cannot be mended? I know what it is for me. What is it for you? Maybe that something is deep inside of us and we have sealed it with a stone. Or could it be that this morning, on this Easter Sunday morning, you are willing to let the stone be rolled away. Maybe it has and you have not realized it. Maybe the new beginning is right here in front of you and all that you have to do is to step towards it. This Easter, my prayer is that something is new about all of us besides our clothes. With the angels I ask, “Why do we look for the living among the dead? This story, friends, is not an idle tale. Let us pray.

(Special thanks to the minister who helped me with a line or two and a story or two in this sermon).