March 27, 2005

Easter Sunrise Service - "Why Are You Crying?"

"Why Are You Crying?”
John 20:14-18

   Trips to graveyards are not usually pleasant and filled with laughter. The trips that I have made with some of you to cemeteries have been somber experiences, often accompanied by tears. Death brings great sadness and a tremendous loss. So, it is no wonder that the women who left the comfort of their warm beds to come to Jesus' tomb while it was still dark on that first Easter morning were very sad. It is no wonder that Mary was weeping--Jesus, her Teacher, Master, and Lord had been crucified and was dead.
   There, at the tomb, she meets the resurrected Jesus. However, she doesn't know who He is. She thinks he is someone else -- the gardener. He has two questions which are critical, not only for Mary on that first Easter morning, but critical for us who have left the comfort of our warm beds to come to this church while it is still dark on this Easter morning.
   First, he asks her, "Woman, why are you crying?" Mary might have thought this was a foolish question. After all, she's next to the tomb of a dear friend who has died. What did this person expect her to do? Laugh? To compound the problem, the body of her deceased friend was no longer there. Shouldn't this naturally bring her to tears?

However, should Mary have been crying? The Old Testament had prophesied that the Messiah would suffer and die and be raised to life again. Several times, Jesus had spoken very clearly about this. He had said, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again." Mary had been told plainly that he would die as the sacrifice for the sin of the world and that, three days later, he would rise from the dead.. Having heard all of this, why should Mary have been weeping?
  Secondly, Jesus asks her, "Who is it that you are looking for?" In this question, Jesus was attempting to bring her back to what she should have known. Jesus does not say "What are you looking for?" That was Mary's problem. She was looking for a "what" and not a "who". She was looking for a lifeless corpse, instead of a living Lord. Because of her lack of faith in the promises of her Lord, Mary was consumed by her grief and thought that her life was now meaningless. All that was left was to find and properly bury the body of Jesus. That would end her quest but not solve her problem.
  Only Jesus could end her grief and provide the solution to her life's problems. Even though Jesus was alive and standing right in front of her, she was not able to recognize Him. It was only when Jesus called her by name, "Mary," that everything changed. Her sadness was turned to joy.. Jesus who was dead was now alive! All of his promises were true. Sins which before Good Friday were unforgiven were now forgiven. Death, which before that morning, was firmly in control of all humanity had now lost its grip on humanity and was nothing to be feared.

Yet this euphoric state of events was not simply something for Mary to bask in on that Easter morning. The joyous benefits of Jesus' resurrection from the dead -- assured forgiveness and eternal life -- were not something for Mary to cling to for herself. Mary's life has meaning now. Jesus gives her a purpose in life. She is to be a messenger of the resurrection. He said, "Go to my brothers and tell them, `I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" So, Mary hurried off and proclaimed to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord!"
    As we sit here early this Easter morning, still trying to wipe the sleep from our eyes, we may not be literally crying as Mary was, but often we live our lives seemingly as full of grief as Mary's. Our lives are full of disappointment, sadness, grief. Today is the one Sunday of the year when we ask people to come to church in the early morning darkness, but let me tell you something—we come to church in the darkness of the soul all the time, just like Mary did, in a world that was dark outside, and dark inside.

This world we live in is often dark, bleak and cold, isn’t it? Sometimes the world seems downright crazy. It’s a world that changes so fast anymore nobody can possibly keep up. It’s a world where other people can let you down suddenly and without warning. It’s a world where our loved ones leave us all too soon, and when they do, our inner world can be just as dark as the outer world. But that’s the beauty of Easter. Easter is all about the love of God that seeks us in this deep darkness. It’s not about the love you find in romance novels or pop songs or TV shows. Easter is all about a real world love that heals broken hearts and gives our lives meaning.

We come to this church week after week, but, like Mary didn't expect anything to change when she went to the tomb, we don't really expect anything to be changed here. Katie Luther, wife of Dr. Martin Luther, after witnessing her husband's melancholy mood, dressed entirely in black clothes, appropriate for a funeral. When Dr. Luther asked why she did that, she replied, "God must be dead for you to act this way." Many Christians today live as if God is dead and gone.
    So, Jesus' question for Mary is for us today as well, "Woman..Man...why are you crying?" It is a good question. We should not be crying or moping around. We should know that Jesus is alive! We not only have the prophecies of the Messiah's suffering and death as Mary did, but we have Gospel accounts of those prophecies being fulfilled.
Then Jesus' second question comes to us, "Who is it that you are looking for?" Do you share the problem that Mary had of looking for a what instead of a who? Of course you are not looking for the dead body of Jesus, but are you looking for happiness, fulfillment, and purpose in what the world offers?

Even if Mary had found what she was looking for -- the body of Jesus -- she still would have been disappointed. The same is true for us. Even if people find what they are looking for in this world -- wealth, fame, success in sports or business, or anything else, inevitably they still end up disappointed.

Since last Easter Sunday, we have all been hit hard by the presence of death among us. I think of the good friends we have lost, Bob, J.D., Olive Ruth, Paul Ruck, Art, and most recently Rodd, to say nothing of the people from the larger tri-town community, like a Clyde Herbert or a Mary Duke and on and on, and I think, “No wonder people are crying. How could they not?” Our vision is clouded by our grief, just as Mary’s was.
   But my friends, only Jesus can end our grief and provide the solution for our life's problems. He knows we’re in pain, he knows we’re lost and feeling forsaken, but Easter Sunday, at sunrise, that’s when he calls us by name and everything changes. And He has done that. As the Scripture says, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine."  In baptism, he has called each of you by name to be his own. We are able to accept all of the promises that Jesus made: that his death was our death for sin and that his resurrection is the guarantee of our resurrection from the dead and life eternal in heaven, not just for us but for our loved ones.
    That's why we have the baptismal font in the front and middle of our sanctuary. It is so that every time you come into this sanctuary, crying either inwardly or outwardly over the sorrows and cares of this life, you can hear Jesus call your name once again. “I am alive. I am in charge. I have won the victory over sin by my death on the cross. I have won the victory over death by my resurrection from the dead. That victory is yours and nothing that you ever face - no evil, no problem, no sickness, and not even death itself - can ever change that."
   That's why we celebrate so strongly this day. Our grief does not win. Death does not win. Our Great Enemy does not win. Jesus wins, and he shares the victory with us. Our guilt before God does not condemn us. Jesus has wiped away that guilt on the cross. Death shall not defeat us. Jesus has defeated death by rising victoriously on Easter morning. We, too, shall conquer death and live eternally. What an exciting day this is!
   Yet, like Mary, this wondrous event and glorious news is not something for us to simply bask in on this day until the next year when Easter rolls around. It's not simply ours to enjoy by ourselves within this church building while we wait to die and be with the Lord. Our lives have purpose and meaning now.

Like Mary, Jesus calls us to go from this place to those burdened by guilt, hurting from the effects of evil, or saddened by the impact of death and tell them the news. Tell them about the relief from guilt that comes, not by pretending that sin doesn’t exist, but by the full and complete forgiveness of sins. Tell them that you have seen the Lord. You have seen him in how your life has changed, and in how other lives have changed. He is alive and that, by his life, we have a life that is full of meaning and purpose. And, when death comes, we shall be resurrected as he was and live as he is now in heaven forever.
    In this early morning hour, I can understand why you might be tired or not yet awake. But why are you crying? Why are you sad? Why are you discouraged or afraid? There is no reason. Jesus has risen from the dead. He has conquered all of your problems. He has overcome the thing you fear most, death, by rising from the dead. Today, you have the victory over sin and its effects. Because He lives, you will conquer death, be resurrected from your grave, and live for all eternity. Cry? Feel sad? Be discouraged? No way! The joy and celebration of Easter have just begun! And they are going to last for you, for me, and for all believers for all eternity. Amen.