Sermonette: Christ is risen!

In the tradition to which I belong, a typical Easter greeting might be something like this: “Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed! Alleluia!” I think it is wonderful to remind one another of this central, foundational fact upon which Christianity is built, especially on Easter. Jesus Christ is risen and we, too, will be raised from the dead. This is great news!

As I reflect on one of the resurrection accounts in the Bible, I’m struck that Mary Magdalene came to Jesus’ tomb “early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark” (John 20:1a). Mary came as the inadequate disciple in the world’s eyes. The world judged her as unworthy. She was said to have been possessed by seven demons before Jesus had healed her, and tradition has been unjustly unkind to her over the centuries.

Yet the gospel writer we call John describes her as the first one to come to the tomb while it was still dark. She stumbled toward faith in the darkness. She did not come with a purpose or a plan. She did not even understand what she saw when she got there. She saw two angels, but she only saw them as potential sources of information. She said to them, “‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him” (John 20:13b). An empty tomb suggested to her that Jesus’ body had been stolen.

Of all the possible candidates to witness Jesus’ resurrection, she was the one God chose as the first witness. She was claimed by Jesus before she could claim faith in him. She did not even recognize Jesus when she saw him. To her, he was but a stranger, maybe even the gardener. She asked if he had taken the body away. It was not an affirmation of faith but only a plea for compassion from the powerless to the powerful.

But then she was addressed by name. Hearing God in Christ call out her name filled her with a message of hope. She left the tomb not seeking news but prepared to announce the good news. She was the key witness to the earthquake of faith. Jesus had risen; the finite reality of death was no match for God. The powerless one became the primary witness to hope for the entire world.

It seems to me that we, also, come in the dark, weeping for what we have lost, and without any clear sense of direction. We might even come as ones the world would look down upon or judge inadequate. We might come merely seeking information. But we find that Jesus has already claimed us as his own and he invites us to a relationship of faith. He addresses us by name, lifts us up, and fills our lives with new purpose and meaning.

Of all the possible candidates to experience this new relationship of faith with Jesus, we are the ones who have been chosen. And we, too, can respond with a word of hope for the entire world. For Jesus has risen and is making new life possible. Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Glory be to God!