Resurrection of our Lord, Easter Sunday, Cycle C

"Let us Live the Resurrection!"

April 4, 2010

The Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel

Saint Luke's Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs

Lessons: Isaiah 65:17-25; I Corinthians 15:19-26; St. Luke 24:1-12

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

A number of years ago, back when I was experimenting with visual aids in my sermons, I borrowed a real, actual, full-sized casket from a local funeral home—to drive home the message of Easter. That's was before I realized the Word of God needs no visual aid—and is the more powerful, when simply proclaimed and heard. Some of you may remember that Easter Sunday, before either of our building programs, when I had to hide the casket in my little office, but couldn't then get into my office, or get behind my desk. When my good friend and colleague, Pr. Tyg found out what I was doing, he came down so that we could explore the casket, see how it worked, and figure it out. We were younger then, I guess, and curious. As we were looking at it, we had the bright idea to actually take turns getting in, and close the lid—well, to see what it was like. We were young and curious. However, knowing Pr. Tyg and me, you understand that before either of us got into the casket, we made a pact, that there would be no joking around, no locking the lock on the lid, so that we would be sealed into the casket, because first, being sealed in a casket would be a whole different thing than just "trying it out"—and second, because we didn't have the little tool that is needed to un-seal the casket, once sealed. And, as you can see, we both kept our word, and so, here I am.

How odd it's always seemed to me, that there is a lock on the lids of caskets, to actually seal them up. Is it to keep someone in, or out? Or, does it have a more primordial meaning? Might the locking seal on caskets touch on our ancient fear of death, and our all-too-human desire to seal up death, to lock it away, to compartmentalize death so that it can't get out and cause us pain and grief? Maybe in the beginning it had some practical purpose—but now, I see it as something of a metaphor for our human, especially modern attitude toward death. Because death interrupts our lives, because death robs us of our days, because death is seen as a tragedy, because we fear that death will come to us at a time and place not of our own choosing, we humans, especially we American humans, prefer to seal death up, to lock it away, so that it can't get to us, and we can go on about our business. Surely, that's why so many of us ignore the fact of our own death, why we fail to prepare for the eventuality of death, and hesitate to even, ever discuss death with our loved ones. Sorry, can't talk about it, because it's all sealed up where we can't get to it.

While today we have as our Gospel reading St. Luke's account of the resurrection of our Lord, I think it's interesting to read the accounts of Jesus' burial. In each of the accounts, there is description of the stone being rolled in front of the tomb, but in Matthew's gospel, there is much greater detail. There, we read that Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus' body, laid it in a new tomb, and rolled a great stone in front of the door of the tomb. But it seems that wasn't enough, so that the next day, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered before Pilate and, worried that Jesus said He would be raised after the three days, asked Pilate to make the sepulcher even more secure. So, Pilate allowed them to take a guard of soldiers, and they went to the tomb, and Matthew tells us, "they made the sepulcher secure by sealing the stone, and setting a guard."

Now, isn't that interesting? The great stone had already been set in place—and we read in the Gospels that it was so heavy the women were concerned about having it removed after the Sabbath so that they could properly anoint and prepare Jesus' body. But the stone itself wasn't enough, so that the chief priests, Pharisees and soldiers actually sealed the stone in place—and then, guarded it! And we wonder whether they were trying to keep the disciples out, or Jesus in! In the great history of salvation, here was humanity, trying once and for all to seal God up, to entomb God's Son, so that He could, would no longer interfere with human life, and human wishes, wants and desires. Once again, humanity thinks it can seal up death—close it up, roll a stone in front of it, and have it done with. Jesus came and confronted men and women with the reality of death, and the possibility of new life, resurrected life in Him. And we children of this world arrested Him, tortured Him, nailed Him to a cross to die, and buried Him in a tomb—so that He would bother us no more—so that we could go on living without having to think about, or consider, or confront the reality of our own mortality. And isn't that what many of us continue to do, year after year, day after day? We live as if we will live forever; we ignore death completely; when death draws near, we are troubled that death has come calling for us—when we thought we were immune, safe, secure—had death all locked away. And yet, that's why Jesus was resurrected. That's why Jesus exploded from the tomb, alive again! Not only to confront us with our own mortality, but to comfort us with the promise of life, after death. The great passage from Ezekiel, about Israel, all dried up and lifeless, without hope for the future, ends not with death, but with the promise of the Lord God, who instructs Ezekiel to prophesy, saying to the people, "Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; I will put my Spirit within you and you shall live.then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord."

This is why Jesus was raised from death, not to wander the earth as a spectre, keeping us frightened of death, haunting us with His ghostly presence—but to promise us, to assure us that what came upon us through the sin of the First Adam, death—would now be undone by the New Adam, Jesus, resurrected to break open the seal on our caskets, to prove to us, not the reality of death, but the reality of life. St. Paul writes in First Corinthians 15, "if for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ." And this new life, is not just life after death, but new life now—as the hope of never-ending life, gives us reason and purpose for the living of these days. St. Paul continues in First Corinthians 15 to explain the nature of death and resurrection, culminating in his proclamation that "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory—victory over death, through our Lord Jesus Christ." But Paul concludes, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain."

This is why God the Father raised Jesus from the dead—because the truth is, when we think we are sealing up death, we are really sealing up life. Being afraid of death causes us to be afraid of life, being afraid of living fully, not as human beings, but as children of God. Like the women who went to the tomb and found it unsealed and open, we can be terrified by the reality and uncertainty of death, unsure how to live, unsure what to make of life, with death always hovering around us. And how are we to live, now that the tomb is open, death is overcome, and because Jesus lives, we will live?

The women, having experienced the open tomb, remembered Jesus' words, and returned, and told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. This is how we are to live—telling all this to all who will listen. We are to live, not afraid to spread the good news of death and resurrection—proclaiming the actual, factual resurrection of Jesus from death, as St. Paul encourages us, "being steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain." We are to always abound in the work of the Lord, announcing to those who live in fear of death, the hope and promise of resurrection. We are to be steadfast, immovable as we proclaim that Jesus who was crucified, is risen. We are to live as the resurrected people we are—we are to live fully, as those who have died in Christ, and been made alive in Christ. We are to live courageously and boldly, knowing that as Christ has been raised from death, we, too, can live in newness of life. So, let us live, not afraid of death—not ignoring death—not bound by the reality of our own mortality—but let us live, full of the life of Jesus Christ, in us—not dead and buried, not sealed up in a tomb, but risen—as He promised when He said, "that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again." Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Let us live the resurrection!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.