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Sermon April 21, 2019
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers,
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s
Easter Sunday, Year C
http://www.lectionarypage.net/YearC_RCL/Easter/CEasterPrin_RCL.html
Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ 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.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew,‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). John 20:15-16
Please be seated
Have you seen those videos about whether sheep respond only to the shepherd’s voice? In one of them, there is a small group of young people standing in front of a fence. Behind the fence are sheep, grazing peacefully. One person comes and tries calling the sheep. The sheep just keep doing what they were doing, while the rest of the crowd in the background laughs.
Two more people come and try to call the sheep, but nothing happens. Finally the farmer comes. He starts calling. At first the sheep seem to stop grazing. Next, they all start looking in the direction of the farmer. Finally one starts running towards the farmer and then they all start running.
It turns out, as is probably obvious if you think about it, that sheep will come towards a person they perceive is friendly. Often they know if they come when the farmer or shepherd calls, they will get fed. And in the video, once the sheep all come near the farmer, he does give them grain to eat. Sheep come when called because they know the farmer.
All this week, I have been thinking about what it means that Mary only recognizes Jesus when Jesus calls her name. When she sees him, she thinks he is the gardener, which is curious. Is it the trick our minds play on us when we tell ourselves that something right in front of us cannot be true? Some say Jesus’ resurrected body has changed and he does not look the same. Is she so focused on finding the body of a dead person, that she cannot see what is right in front of her?
But once Jesus calls her name, she immediately knows it is him.
In my readings this week to prepare for this glorious Easter day, here are some things I found of interest.
1. The resurrected Jesus could have gone to the top of the temple and shouted that he was alive. He could have appeared to Pilate or the religious authorities who conspired to have him crucified and taunted them that they had failed. Jesus does not humiliate anyone. Jesus doesn’t do that, because love doesn’t do that. Jesus comes to those he loved and those who loved him. Jesus comes to those who will continue to follow him and continue to do the work of God in the world.
2. Regarding Mary in the garden…
a. A. First of all, Mary is seeking a Jesus who is dead, rather than the Jesus who is risen! The risen Jesus walks with us every single day. The risen Jesus is with us each time we share the eucharist. It is not the dead Jesus we need to worship. It is the Jesus who accompanies us each and every day of our lives. The Jesus who listens to us and who guides us.
b. Secondly, Mary couldn’t find Jesus. She was frantic, panicked, maybe, when she could not find his body. Yet, even when she couldn’t find Jesus, Jesus found her! Jesus called her by name. Our God is always there for us and always calling to us…always there to guide us.
c. We don’t always see the risen Christ as we walk through life. After this sermon, we will renew our Baptismal promises. One of our promises is to “seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves. (p. 293, BCP). Bishop Scanlan’s Lenten practice this year was to stop every hour and observe where she Christ in that moment. Christ is all around us if only we take time to see. That’s the promise we make when we renew our vows – to see and to serve Christ in every moment possible!
What Easter also reminds us is that a new relationship is required. I’m sure there were times when the disciples longed for Jesus to be present with them…to walk the dusty roads of Palestine with him…to meet the crowds that followed him. I’m sure most of us know what that feeling is like.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! And we are called to build life in new ways. We are called to stand on the past for the foundation it gives us and for the things it taught us and to walk boldly into a new way of life in Christ.
Amen
