“Now their feelings come so fast there is no time to sort them out. They had watched him die, and now dazzling men said he has risen!”

Acts 10:34-43

34 Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Luke 24:1-12

1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8 Then they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

 Spoken words for “New Life” by Rev KellyAnn Donahue. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O God, our strength and our redeemer. The scripture words for today seem to be in the wrong order. The gospel words which we traditionally read second, should really have been first. Some of the women who had watched Jesus die now go to where he is buried. Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary the mother of James were going to finish some of the burial rituals on his body. They get to the tomb. The stone across the entrance has been moved. Hmmm. It is a heavy stone. What’s going on? Who moved it? Why would they do that? The women did not run to fetch the men, the disciples of Jesus. They went into the tomb. There was no body. Luke says they were perplexed. More whys. Then they see two men in dazzling white who say, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.” Now their feelings come so fast there is no time to sort them out. Grief at his arrest, trial and death. Maybe anger at those responsible for it. Shock and surprise at seeing the stone moved. Confusion when they see no body in the tomb. Fear at seeing the men who were something else. Amazement and joy at hearing that Jesus is living. Jesus has risen. Yet they had watched him die. They stayed the whole time. The dazzling men remind them that Jesus said he would be crucified and rise on the third day. The women don’t question the messengers. When they tell the now eleven disciples that Jesus is risen, they are not believed. Peter went to look for himself, and peeked in to the empty tomb, seeing the burial cloths lying there. He was amazed. Then he went home.

 Things don’t seem to change for Peter right away. He does not share what he saw, what he thought or felt about it, according to Luke. The women did share their news right away. They acted on what they had seen and heard at the tomb. Some of us share news right away. Some of us go home, and then later act on what has affected us.

 The first words we heard, from the Acts of the Apostles, also by Luke, are a kind of explanation of what the empty tomb meant. Peter testifies that the disciples knew Jesus was special. By the time the words of Peter were written, they believed that he was sent from God, filled with God’s Holy Spirit to do good and to forgive sins. They believed that God raised him from the dead. Peter said that this good news is for all nations, not only those of Israel, whom Jesus first preached to. The resurrection is for us, too.

 I think it is easier to preach about resurrection when we see new life all around us. Some of the trees look different this week. There is the red and green of new buds on them. Our grass is starting to come back. What would Easter look like if it was fall? If we were in Tasmania, it would be fall, and not spring. Easter there is April 21, just as it is here. Would the message of resurrection be as easy to understand when trees are losing leaves instead of gaining them?

 It is, sadly, almost easier for me to speak about resurrection when we have recently lost a loved one. Our hope in the resurrection may ease the grief and loss we feel. If the resurrection of Jesus is only about life after death, what does that mean for us now, while we are living? That is where our spring images help, I think. The dark winters may be tough for us to take. I know we all revel in the sun and warmth while it is here. There is a rush to garden, walk, boat, fish, hike, play golf and get outdoor chores done when winter is over. I rush outside to sit and read, even if it is for sermon research. There is something about sitting in the warmer air that feels better to me than sitting inside. We should, I think, also revel in our community of people as much as we do the warmer weather. It is easier for us to get out and see one another. Those moments we cherish in nature and with others, can be saved up and enjoyed later, when it is winter. I hope we all find some joy in every day. To have no joy at all is to be too close to death, I think. Moments we cherish are new life, just as much as the new leaves and eventual flowers are new life. They don’t always need to be memories. We can cherish the moment we are in now.

There is new life in us, too. We are not the same as we were last Easter. There are changes, great and small, happy and sad, in all of us. What new ideas did we have? Did we meet new people or re-connect with people we missed? Did we try new foods? Read new books or see something new on TV? New things are being introduced at a very fast pace, and we might just want to stay with those not so new things we are comfortable with. Sometimes we have to do new things, because the old things are not possible any more.

 I think we have new life when we care for someone else’s life, when we help, listen or serve them. And when we pray for others. That is what Jesus meant by his commandment that we love one another, a commandment he spoke to his disciples at his last supper on Maundy Thursday. He cared so much for them and for us. He endured the pain of the cross, bringing us an offer of forgiveness and new life. May we respond to that offer with service and forgiveness of others.

Copyright © Rev KellyAnn Donahue