“He’s going ahead of you to Galilee”

(Mark 16:1-8)

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.  And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.  They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”  When they looked up, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe setting on the right side, and they were alarmed.  But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He has been raised; he is not here.  Look, there is the place they laid him.  But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.”  So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

This ends the Gospel of Mark.  Now, you may wonder why I say it’s the end of the Gospel when you may see in your Bibles that there is more.  Scholars agree that the verses that follow verse 8 were added in the 2^nd or 3^rd centuries, that the most reliable manuscripts do not include them.  There may have been folks in that time who were uncomfortable with the abrupt ending, so they probably decided they would try to fix it, but, trust me, it ends here for a reason. 

As I’ve prepared to preach this morning, I’ve found that last verse in the Mark reading to be unforgettable.  To repeat, it goes like this: “So the women went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” 

            They were afraid.  That’s it, folks.  Those brave women had hung in there through Jesus’ ministry when he was viewed as a rabble rouser, a rebel and sometimes outrageous.  The women who kept vigil throughout the crucifixion and had been courageous enough to return to anoint his body were absolutely terrified when they didn’t find him there.  The reality of this resurrection and the direction given to them was the last straw.  They ran.  “Do not be alarmed,” the young man said, “you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He has been raised; he is not here.  Look, there is the place they laid him.  But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.”

            Now this scene is not really what we want to hear about on Easter morning.  We want Jesus’ friends to shout for joy and understand fully what has happened because that’s what WE want to do on Easter—the shouting for joy, at least.  The understanding?  Well, we’re working on it.

            But this you must hear today: the reaction of the women does not negate God’s action.  God lives and death is conquered.  Hope is alive.  Christ is risen.  Alleluia! 

            Our human reactions can’t change that.  You know, Easter is really a work-out for a preacher.  There have been years when I just could not get myself together on Easter.  I’m grateful to be half-time, with time to plan and prepare for this whole week, really.  Still, we preachers want to write the best Easter sermon anyone ever heard, even me with 32 Easters under my belt.

            But after all these years I do realize that, if I’m a bit uneasy, I’m not the first to be unsettled on Easter morning.  I also realize that what I say and do is not nearly the last word on God’s Easter morning action, thanks be to God.  Ours is a faith for the ages, not one day.  Our mothers in the faith, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome ran away in fear, for cryin’ out loud.

            Now, we know that somehow, at some time they began to speak about what they saw and heard.  At some point, they clearly got the courage and the voice to go ahead and tell the disciples and Peter that the risen Christ was going ahead to Galilee.  They began to understand the magnitude of God’s action and to act accordingly.  They undoubtedly turned into wonderful disciples, stellar witnesses to God’s miracle, fine storytellers of how Jesus changed their lives.  But there was a lot of pressure on them that first Easter morning.  I understand….

            You may feel a little pressured yourself to feel a certain way on what is expected to be a very happy day. You may have a lot on your mind just now.  Perhaps it’s as simple as thinking about how you’re going to prepare a traditional family dish for this day, one that carries lots of expectations.  Maybe you still need to clean the house for company.  Perhaps you feel some responsibility for sharing the joy of family traditions with the children so that they have fond memories. 

            It might be some larger melancholy that is upon you.  Your family may have their share of suffering.  There are those whose jobs are hanging by a thread.  Your loved ones may not have health insurance and are not able to get the care they need.  A cloud may be hanging over you due to grief suffered or anticipated.  You may have worries about a child or another family member or friend.  You may be having trouble getting into the spirit today (though, I tell you, when I walk in here on Easter morning it is hard not to rejoice).

            The thing I want you to hear is that Christ has risen whether we’ve got it right or not.  God has broken into human history in this powerful way whether we get it or understand it or have joy and clarity in our individual hearts just now.    

I read something recently that resonated with me as I pondered what I would talk about today.  “Easter shows us how God has broken into human history in a most powerful way.” 

            Further, Christ’s resurrection reminds us that God makes a way where there seems to be no way.  God gives us hope where there seems to be no hope. 

            The resurrection of Christ offers us a way to begin again, a way to pick up the pieces of our brokenness and have God put them back together for us as though we were brand new.  We learn God’s way through this most unexpected, stunning, frightening, amazing happening that we celebrate as Easter morning.  Death and darkness and fear have been conquered.  Now, we are given the opportunity to rise up and live every single day of our lives.  Rather than living to keep from dying, we can live to enjoy each precious moment that God has given us in this life.    

This is the vision of God’s kingdom.  It is what is before us even in the face of difficult times, even against all odds and evidence withstanding.  It is this moment when we can declare our faith in God’s ability to make all things new.

Easter is, for us Christians, a climactic moment, a huge, glorious event that shows us a new way. 

But if we think of Easter as only something that happened a long time ago, we miss the power that it has to transform our own lives, we miss how the Kingdom of God breaks into human history even today.

The resurrection story sent the women right back to Galilee, and it sends us there, as well, to the place where Jesus walked, taught, preached and healed, the place where ministry happens.  Galilee is the symbol for where we Christians live.  It is the place where God breaks in to show us a new way of life, a new way to be, an introduction to God’s new creation, a way of sharing Jesus’ ministry of reconciliation with each other.  It’s the place where we learn how to dwell in the Kingdom of God, in the Jesus House.  That’s Galilee. 

It’s where we begin to know in our deepest places that death has lost its power over us, that God is greater than death, that we no longer want to live in the darkness, that each day here is precious, and that when we get beyond this life, we will continue to be held in God’s arms.  This is how the Kingdom of God has broken into the dark, unforgiving world of human history that is all around us.

And so, it’s good to know we’re alive in Christ.  It IS a beautiful day in Jesus’ neighborhood, a beautiful day for all us neighbors because Jesus has gone before us to Galilee.  It is there that we live and dwell and learn and love.  It’s there that we begin to let go of our old selves and become the new creation that God promises.  It’s there that we begin to put into perspective the pain and suffering that come with being human.  It’s there that we learn about dying to our old, sinful selves and rising to be new creations in Christ.  It’s there that we learn about death and resurrection.  It is there that we learn that it’s not all about me nor about how I feel, but it’s about the hope that has come into the world through God’s action, BECAUSE Christ’s love for us overcomes EVERYTHING else.  Amen.         

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