The Resurrection of Our Lord
Introduction: Early Christians greeted each other, “Christ is risen!” and the other responded, “Christ is risen indeed!” I greet you this morning and feel free to greet whoever is sitting with you, “Christ is risen!” Lord, help us savor that truth this morning.
We start our service today by making the sign of the cross. At baptism we were marked with the cross and baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection. Romans 6:3,4 says, “Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”
We confess together our sins, trusting that God will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Faithful and just God, we confess that we are captive to doubt and fear, bound by the ways that lead to death. We have not loved our sisters and brothers as you have first loved us. Forgive us, God of mercy. Let your Holy Spirit work in us to change our lives and make us new, that we may know the abundant life given in Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. Amen
God says in his word, “In this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us and sent the Son to atone for our sins.” In the name of +Jesus Christ, I announce to you that your sins are forgiven. Let the perfect love of God cast our fear, fill us with oy and inspire us to live for others. Amen.
Gathering Hymn: Lo in the Grave He Lay (Up From the Grave He Arose) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtxSWcfH9hk
Join me in the Prayer of the Day
God of mercy, we no longer look for Jesus among the dead, for he is alive and has become the Lord of life. Increase in our minds and hearts the risen life we share with Christ, and help us to grow as your people toward the fullness of eternal life with you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Alleluia. Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed.* Therefore, let us keep the feast. Alleluia. (1 Cor. 5:7, 8)
Hymn of the Faithful: Thine is the Glory https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbBOOmkMLmI
HEARING GOD’S WORD
The Old Testament reading rejoices in God’s faithfulness and anticipation of eventual victory.
First Reading: Jeremiah 31:1-6
1At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
2Thus says the Lord:
The people who survived the sword
found grace in the wilderness;
when Israel sought for rest,
3the Lord appeared to him from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
4Again I will build you, and you shall be built,
O virgin Israel!
Again you shall take your tambourines,
and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.
5Again you shall plant vineyards
on the mountains of Samaria;
the planters shall plant,
and shall enjoy the fruit.
6For there shall be a day when sentinels will call
in the hill country of Ephraim:
“Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the Lord our God.”
We join our voices with people from the past through the psalms. Feel free to read responsively with different people with you.
Psalm: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
1Give thanks to the Lord, for the Lord is good;
God’s mercy endures forever.
2Let Israel now declare,
“God’s mercy endures forever.”
14The Lord is my strength and my song,
and has become my salvation.
15Shouts of rejoicing and salvation echo in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord acts valiantly!
16The right hand of the Lord| is exalted!
The right hand of the Lord acts valiantly!”
17I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the Lord.
18The Lord indeed punished me sorely,
but did not hand me over to death.
19Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter them and give thanks to the Lord.
20“This is the gate of the Lord;
here the righteous may enter.”
21I give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and you have become my salvation.
22The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
23By the Lord has this been done;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Early Christians share how they understood the miracle of Easter.
Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-4
1If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.
The Gospel from the Gospel of John.
SERMON: John 20:1-18
1Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10Then the disciples returned to their homes.
11But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
SERMON Why are you weeping?
The Lord is risen! The Lord is risen indeed!
We come to Easter morning and Covid-19 is still with us. CNN, BBC, Fox News etc. are all eager to share the most recent news. Each has a slightly different take on what’s happening. We tune in listening for reports on when the shelter-in-place order will be lifted. News changes by the minute and interviews are given from people who experienced Covid-19 slightly differently. It’s all so confusing and attention grabbing. Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24 and John 20 all report the resurrection of Jesus and there are slightly different accounts of who was there, doing what, saying what and experiencing what. Each author probably talked with different people who focused on different facts while each engaged in popular gab. What can we agree on and what is our understanding?
The Jesus is MIA
Women went to the tomb to place spices on the Jesus’ body as he had been quickly buried in Nicodemus’ tomb on Friday evening. A stone had been placed in-front of the entrance and guards were posted. John reports that the women found the stone rolled back, the guards gone and does not report conversations with angels or the risen Lord. John is not focusing on the narrative of the story but the truth of history: Jesus is MIA.
This is a truth that is not private but must be shared. The women immediately ran to the disciples to share the news. In the face of government opposition, the crucifixion and guards, and in the face of religious opposition, truth must be shared. The disciples arrived and they did not fully understand what happened. Jesus is MIA! What? The historical reality of Easter has changed lives.
Unlike the night journey of Mohammed from Mecca to the Temple in Jerusalem with the Angel Gabriel, experienced by one and believed by many, the empty tomb was seen by many and the risen Christ was seen by many different types of people. The resurrection changed history.
The disciples returned home because the truth of the resurrection is lived into. The implications are worked out in our lives. Today we may live with the virus but we know it is something that will pass as all illness do, resulting in return to health or reception into eternity. The risen Christ is not something we know is real and live through, going back to our everyday life, whatever that will mean after recovery. The resurrection changes our reality forever. We have a savior who can be accessed at any time now, by any person now, in every place now. He is risen!
What difference does that make in our lives? Do we just hunt our Easter eggs, sing our songs, celebrate and then return to normal? Who are we running to tell today? Is there room in our thinking to grow in understanding God’s presence now? Jesus went MIA but how will that truth be processed as history unfolds?
The angels ask Mary, “Why are you crying?”
John now turns to an angelic encounter. Mary, probably the sister of Martha and Lazarus, lingers outside the tomb and is reflecting on the truth – his body is gone. What happened?
That which cannot be seen, that cannot be touched, that which has disappeared from sensory experience is so hard to grasp and understand. I hear and see about Covid-19 on the TV and radio. I see people wearing masks and social distancing. But how does that impact me? At the mountain top youth retreat outing, I am so overwhelmed by the reality of Christ and the Christian community but then I return to the humdrum of everyday life and feel the loss in the return to normal. I have a fantastic morning devotion and before noon, I have let some disagreeable word come out of my mouth or at least enter my thoughts. As the experience that is processed through the five senses moves to our spiritual understanding, I must reflect and move from historical truth to spiritual life.
I doubt Mary had a little phrase to explain reality, “Jesus died for my sins” to package truth. Mary had not seen the resurrected Jesus and in fact, when he appeared, did not recognize him. In that time of disconnect from understanding truth– he is not moved, he is risen – Mary grieves. In the face of death, physical or just the death of our old self that has been affected by the resurrection, perhaps we too grieve. How is Covid-19 going to play out? What will the new normal look like?
Mary bends over and looks into the tomb and there encounters the angels. Perhaps the mountain top experience is inspirational and insightful but we must bend over and look. We have no tomb to look into like Mary but we can look into scripture. Gradually we come to realize that the “lamb of God” was a sacrificial image that John was using at the beginning of his gospel. Gradually we come to grips with our sinful selves and we weep. Faith draws us to a deeper understanding and into a truer self that is called upon to forgive, turn the other cheek, share our cloak – we weep. The joy of Easter truth gives way to challenges to growth.
Jesus asks, “Why are you weeping?”
In the midst of her anxiety and confusion, Jesus appears unrecognized and asks the question, “Why are you weeping?” Please note that resurrection does not mean absence or social distancing. Jesus is not deterred by her confusion, her lack of understanding, or her grief. One of the great messages of Easter for us today is that Jesus is with us as we grieve, as we misunderstand, and as we reflect. He is not unavailable because of our humanness. But perhaps we do not recognize his presence.
Mary asks a question, “Where have you taken him?” Jesus is not afraid of our questions and doubts. Into that time, he spoke her personal name. He no longer addresses her as “woman” but now calls into her personal space, her personal name, “Mary.” We are no longer looking at historical truth of the resurrection, and we are not looking for understanding, but we are facing personal truth called forth in our name. Jesus knows us, sees us, is present and cares about us. We cannot hold onto him as our personal commodity but he sees who we are in our very essence. Our tears are met by his presence.
This Easter Sunday we live in the shadow of Covid-19 that makes our future health unpredictable, in the shadow of political unpredictability as we approach elections, and certainly in economic upheaval from the sheltering. I do not think it is that different from Bible truth. We are not hunting Easter eggs and candy nor having festive meals with family and not even gathering in churches with people we love. We sit as the early disciples did.
The tomb is empty. The stone is rolled away. Jesus is risen.
Lord, help me understand as I look at the tomb today.
He knows my name and is going before me!
Halleluyah.
Hymn: Jesus Christ Is Risen Today https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzy7jFNUc3w
Let us share together the Nicene Creed on this day:
We believe in one God, The Father, the Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in only holy catholic and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Prayers of Intercession
Uplifted by the promised hope of healing and resurrection, we join the people of God in all times and places in praying for the church, the world, and all who are in need.
God of resurrection, from the very beginning you give the church the gift of men and women as your witnesses: as preachers, teachers, and leaders. Open our ears to their proclamation this day and always. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
All your creation praises you—the earth hums, the seas pulse, the stars shine, and the galaxies whirl in glorious harmonies to honor you. Let us hear and blend our voices in the song. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
The countries of the world experience disunity and conflict; we set our minds on fear and greed rather than on your rule of justice and steadfast love. Build up all countries on your cornerstone of peace. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We still weep with those who weep, and mourn with those who mourn. Cradle the fearful, the suffering, and the dying, assuring them of your loving presence. We especially remember those in the wake of Covid-19. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Bless the creative and helpful service of worship leaders this day: musicians, ushers, greeters, worship assistants, preachers, readers, and all others who provide welcome and hospitality in our midst. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Risen Lord, you went ahead of us into the grave and defeated the powers of evil. We remember those who have died. Inspire us to live our lives in this resurrection hope and draw us to you in our final days. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
With bold confidence in your love, almighty God, we place all for whom we pray into your eternal care; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
We cannot pass the offering plate today but we can still mail checks and return thanks for all God has given us and gifted us.
Merciful God, our ordinary gifts seem small for such a celebration, but you make of them an abundance, just as you do with our lives. Prepare us for service in your name, in the strength of the risen Christ. Amen.
If we can worship virtually, we can pass the peace virtually, “The peace of Christ be with you always. And also with you.” If you are with a loved one, you might even share a “holy kiss.”
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
I cannot consecrate the elements of Communion electronically but I would encourage you to share some bread together and say, “Christ is risen. He is as close to you as this bread in your stomach. Don’t forget.” Then share a drink and say, “Christ is risen. He is as close to you as the blood flowing through your body. Don’t forget!”
Let us pray, Life-giving God, you have fed us with your word, and our hearts burn within us. May we never forget that you are risen. You are alive and your presence is always with and within us. Now send us forth to share the gifts of Easter with all in need; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Read or say to each other:
May the One who brought forth Jesus from the dead raise you to new life, fill you with hope, and turn your mourning into dancing. Almighty God, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever. Amen.
Dismissal
Christ is risen, just as he said. Go in peace. Share the good news. Alleluia!
Thanks be to God. Alleluia!
On the Way to Wonder 