Easter Sunday
John 20:1-18
Let us pray: Lord, give us eyes to see, ears to hear, hearts and minds to understand, and hands and feet willing to go and do what we hear from you in the Word today. Amen”
Mary Magdelene is the one who must rely upon her senses to understand what is happening on the day of the resurrection. She arrives at the tomb while it is still dark but she can see, in the darkness, the outline of the large stone that had been rolled away from the entrance. She makes an assumption that someone has moved the body. It’s a valid assumption. She knows there are those who hate Jesus so much that they would not have hesitated to desecrate the burial site and the body.
So she runs to find a couple of the disciples, to tell them the body is gone. They go to see for themselves, and see some linen cloths, and an empty tomb. And then, they leave. The disciples don’t try to comfort Mary in her anxious state. They just leave. And Mary stays. Indeed, she stands weeping, yet even through her tears, she sees angels in the tomb. The angels engage her in conversation, compassionately asking why she is crying. Let us remember that the disciples saw linen cloths, but no angels. Yet, suddenly, Mary is seeing angels? Not only that, but the angels are carrying on a conversation with Mary! So, her eyesight tells her what? First, that the tomb is empty, because the large stone was rolled away. Secondly, that there are (suddenly) two angels seated in the tomb. And Mary has the presence of mind to actually carry on a conversation with them.
So, we know that Mary has eyes to see this miracle of resurrection. The next sensory faculty to alert her to the resurrection is her hearing. She hears the angels talking to her. And she responds to them, then turns, perhaps because she hears a noise.
Jesus, like the angels, asks her why she is crying. He also asks who she is looking for. And all this time, while Mary’s ears are hearing him just fine, her eyes do not yet recognize him. She believes he is probably the gardener. Until he speaks her name.
“Mary.” He says her name, and there is instant recognition. We don’t know why she didn’t recognize his voice at first, except that I’m sure we’ve all experienced not recognizing someone’s voice whom we know well, until something happens that changes our perspective. As soon as she calls out Rabonnai!, Jesus knows that Mary’s heart will yearn to reach out and hold him, so he must immediately caution her not to touch him, for he is going to be with God.
And then, Jesus Christ gives her the honor of being the one to tell everyone that he is risen from the dead and is going to be with the Father. What pure joy for Mary, to be honored to share this Good News of the resurrected Christ!
You and I know that when we see a loved one, or hear their voice, after being apart, our senses give us this rush of joy. The homecoming of a loved one who has been away brings such happiness, when we catch sight of them getting off the plane, or hear their voice calling our name as we wait by the baggage claim. You turn, and the familiar sight of their tousled hair or the way he or she winks at you when your eyes meet in the crowded terminal…well, the heart simply melts with deep joy.
The resurrected Jesus spent a good long while walking this earth in human form, so he knows something about the five senses. Jesus Christ understands that our human senses help us to live our lives to the fullest. And as the Word became flesh and walked among us, we know from the Gospel of John 10:27-28: My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
You see, Jesus knew Mary would recognize his voice once he called her name. Because she believes. Because she is a faithful disciple. Because when the loved one hears the love expressed in the name spoken, there is a recognition that needs no explanation other than pure love.
So, Mary is blessed to see the resurrected Jesus, to hear him, and by those two senses, to then engage her mind and heart in understanding that the resurrection has indeed happened as he had told them it would. And then, thanks be to God, she is instructed by Jesus to go and share her experience!
My friends in Christ, we know, by faith, that Jesus is resurrected, and has ascended and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God in heaven. But we were not there when he appeared to Mary and later, the disciples. Our faith relies upon God’s Word, to share Christ’s teachings with us, and particularly today, in the story of the resurrection, to relate Mary’s experience to us, so that her shared experience helps us in our faith journey.
In addition to God’s Word, we give thanks for the way in which the Holy Spirit helps us in our faith understanding, to come to know and believe in the resurrected Christ. We don’t have the benefit of seeing the grave linens, like Peter and the other disciple. Nor the angel and garden experience of Mary. But the Holy Spirit helps us to understand God’s Word and God’s will for us, through scripture, through personal testimonies of the faithful, through worship and study and sharing in holy communion, and through serving others and loving one another, as God loves us.
I’ve been meditating during Holy Week on the gospel reading for Easter, and while different parts of the resurrection story resonate with us at different times and places in our lives, this year, the part that resonates for me is the name. When Jesus says her name. All the Jesus love that we yearn for and want in our lives…that Jesus love grabs us up and gives us this intense hug when he but speaks our name. and we turn to him. If you have been feeling an emptiness, and wondering what that ache is in your soul, maybe it’s because you just need to listen for His voice, and look around for him, for He is indeed calling your name! Jesus wants to fill you up with that Jesus love that fills our cup and spills over with so much love that we laugh with delight to see the abundance of His love!
When I was at the grocery store the other day, it was busy, everyone was getting their supplies for Easter family dinners. And I could see one of the staff looking tired from her work. Even tho I could see her nametag, I didn’t want to mispronounce it. So I asked her name. She told me, and it turns out that was a good thing, because I would have said the name wrong! So I repeated her name and thanked her by name. And she smiled. My friends in Christ, we can begin sharing the abundance of Jesus’s love, by doing the simple things each day. Let’s do what Jesus does in the garden. Let’s call people by name. Let’s use all our senses, like Mary, to be alert to opportunities to share the love of God and the good news of the risen Christ!
Jesus calls us by name. So that we know how beloved we are. And we know where to go, just by listening to his voice. It’s a voice we will always recognize and if we listen to that loving voice, we will never be lost. For Jesus is our shepherd and guide, and we yearn to follow his voice.
As we leave here today, inspired by the risen Lord to bring our testimonies of faith out into the world, using all of our senses, let us try something simple, to help us in that effort. St. Ignatius created what is called the Examen, a short reflective prayer, which helps us to review our day, or a selected time period in our lives, and to invite God to help us to do a “reset” for the next day, or the next season, to perhaps try something different, with God’s help.
In the coming weeks of Eastertide, which includes today til Pentecost, we’ll be looking at the Examen as an opportunity to reflect upon the previous season, and approach this new season, beginning with Easter, as a time to “reset” …to begin anew, by God’s grace. We will consider these seven areas of our lives: Spirit, Body, Mind, Relationships, Home, Work, and Resources.
And now, let us close with a prayer to help us on our way into this holy Eastertide: Almighty God, you give us the joy of celebrating our Lord’s resurrection. Give us also the joys of life in your service and bring us at last to the full joy of life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pastor Elizabeth Bailey-Mitchell
