April 15, 2007

Thank you for coming back. You never know. For some Easter is the beginning of summer. At least as far as church attendance goes. We are going to make it harder on you next year. Easter is going to be about as earlier as it can be, March 23. Or maybe that is good news, summer is going to be even longer. Anyway, it is good to see you. At least for a little while longer.

By the way, did you notice there was a convergence of Easters this year? That is, both the Church of the West, meaning the Catholic and Protestant churches, and the Church of the East, meaning the Orthodox Church, celebrated Easter on the same Sunday. We usually do not. It is one of our differences.

The reason being we do not use the same calendar. The Orthodox Church uses the original Julian Calendar, established by Julius Caesar back when he ruled the empire in 45 B.C., whereas the western world switched to the Gregorian calendar after Pope Gregory XIII made some changes to the Julian calendar back in 1582 A.D., and the calendar was renamed after him.

Regarding Easter our calendar is admittedly more the odd one, for Easter is determined to be the first Sunday following the first full moon following the vernal equinox, which does not sound terribly theological to me. But given the vernal equinox is always March 20/21, you can see why March 23 is about as early as Easter can be for you've got to get a full moon and a first Sunday in there following the first day of spring. At least the Orthodox Church stays tuned to the Hebrew year, determining Easter in accordance with the Jewish holiday of Passover. For them, Easter is the first Sunday following for the first day of Passover, as it was in the beginning.

For you recall, Jesus was in Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish Passover when he was arrested, tried and crucified, and rose on the first Sunday following the first day of Passover, which was the Thursday of his Last Supper that year.

Well, this year, the first day of Passover was Tuesday, April 3. The first full moon following the vernal equinox was Monday, April 2. In both cases, the first Sunday following these dates was April 8. Alleluia, all of Christendom celebrated Easter on the same day this year, which was last Sunday. I hope you didn't miss it!

No matter where in Christendom, we are now in Eastertide. As a Christian season Eastertide lasts until Pentecost, which is a Greek word meaning "fiftieth day." Pente = 50th; cost = day. The season of Easter lasts 49 days, that is, seven weeks, until Pentecost, the fiftieth day.

So we get to cruise the Resurrection road for seven weeks. Hopefully you have not eaten all your chocolate bunnies yet. Though I'm not sure your peeps will keep that long. Fortunately we have plenty of gospel material to carry us down the road. For each of the four gospels recounts Resurrection appearances. And in each gospel they are different, different stories, different accounts of the Resurrected Lord, giving the preacher plenty with which to work.

For instance, take the discovery of the empty tomb. In Mark, first of the gospels written, it is Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome who discover the empty tomb. They are afraid and say nothing to anyone. Which most scholars agree is the original ending of Mark.

However, this proved to be too abbreviated for the Church. So a few Resurrection reflections were added to Mark at a later date, rather shorthanded summaries of the more complete stories offered in the other gospels.

In Matthew, it is Mary Magdalene, again, and the "other" Mary, who most likely is the same as Mary the mother of James, but not Salome, who find the empty tomb, and though also afraid, these two women are filled with joy as well. So they run to tell the disciples, who in turn return to Galilee, as they were told, and where they meet the Risen Lord on a hill, who commissions them to go and share the good news with all the world.

In John, it is Mary Magdalene, alone, who discovers the rock rolled from the tomb, and who rather than enter the tomb, runs and tells Peter and John, who run to the tomb, enter in, and find it empty. They are confused and afraid, until Jesus appears to them that evening in Jerusalem, first without Thomas, who doubts, and then with Thomas, who is convinced, and then again to seven of the disciples up on the Sea of Galilee, who have an amazing catch of the day and then are commissioned to feed God's sheep.

Finally, in Luke, it is Mary Magdalene, the only woman who bats 1000 in the Easter story, along with Mary, the mother of James, who goes 3 for 4, and Joanna, a woman of means mentioned earlier in Luke, and only in Luke, and "the other women with them" (who are unnamed, perhaps Salome is among them) who discover the empty tomb.

As in Matthew and John, the women in Luke who discover the empty tomb run and tell the disciples, who receive the news of the empty tomb as "an idle tale." However, as in the Gospel of John, Peter, though not John, runs to the tomb, discovers it empty for himself, and goes back home amazed. Which is how we should respond to all of this. Amazed! We should be amazed, stunned, confused and afraid, as were the men and women back then, for surely something is at work here that has never gone on before, and is beyond our understanding, including our ability to tell this amazing story the same way twice.

This morning, let's linger with Luke. It is later the same empty tomb day. Two of Jesus' disciples are on the road to Emmaus, in a story told only in Luke. Emmaus is seven miles west-northwest of Jerusalem. It is a hot, dusty, hilly road. The disciples do not notice. They are sad, sorrowful, and forlorn.

Though they have heard the news of the empty tomb, they are confused. So they don't immediately start dying Easter eggs. They are still stuck on the cross.   For them Jesus is dead! Who are these two disciples? One is identified as Cleopas, who, by the way, is not one of the original twelve disciples. Trust me, I know their names. He is not one of them.

So Cleopas is a member of the junior varsity team, that larger congregation of men and women who followed Jesus as well. Who is the other disciple with Cleopas? His (or her) name is not given. Which is just as well. Like the seven fisherman in John's Resurrection appearance, where one disciple goes unnamed, let's assume the unnamed disciple is you. For each of us is on the road to Emmaus as well, which makes the story read with more interest, wouldn't you agree?

So, we are sad and sorrowful, our hope crushed on the cross, aimlessly ambling toward Emmaus that first Easter afternoon. A stranger draws near and joins us on our walk. We hardly notice. Our heads hang low. He asks, "What are you talking about as you walk along?" Or "Que paso?" as in the Spanish version. "What's happening?"

Cleopas answers for us, in Aramaic, "Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have come to pass these last few days?" As you can tell by the comment, we are still looking back, cleaved to the cross.

Cleopas goes on to tell about Jesus of Nazareth and the hope he arose, but how he was crucified, and with that our expectations defeated. Now his tomb has been found empty, which perplexes us. We don't know what this means.

The stranger talks to us, explaining to us what was said about the Messiah in scripture. Understand, scripture here is reference to the Hebrew Bible, what we call the Old Testament, not the New Testament, which is not yet written.

Nevertheless, as the stranger speaks, our hearts are strangely warmed. He speaks with authority and authenticity. He makes sense of the suffering and seems, well, a window to the Messiah himself. Though we do not yet see clearly.

As we near our destination, the stranger is about to go on. Cleopas, God love ?em, speaks up, "Won't you stay with us? The day is nearly gone. Allow us to offer you our hospitality." The stranger agrees and joins us in our home. Yes, perhaps the other disciple is a woman, Cleopas's wife. We don't know.

It has been a long and weary day. We are miles down the road from the empty tomb. We are still in bondage to the Romans, and victimized by our own chief priests and scribes, who had Jesus crucified. What to think? What to do? At any rate, there is the stranger to share our sorrow. He seems to understand.

We sit together for a meal. We are tired and hungry, bereaved and bereft. The stranger takes the bread and offers a blessing. Which is nice. Then he breaks the bread and offers it to us.
In that moment, it is like scales fall from our eyes, for our eyes are opened, and we see, no longer a stranger, but Jesus, the Risen Lord, at table with us.

We are stunned. Cleopas nearly collapses. We look at one another in amazement, and then back to the stranger, who has disappeared, gone instantly from our sight. But now (knock on head) we understand. The empty tomb. He is not dead. He is risen! Alleluia!

We leap from the table, renewed, refreshed, rejoiced and rejuiced, and run the hilly 10K back to Jerusalem, where we find the eleven disciples and the others, and tell them how we recognized the Lord in the breaking of the bread. It is Easter after all. Praise be to God! He is risen, indeed! As told by Luke. By the way, the disciples never leave Jerusalem in Luke.

So, what does this mean? What does this mean for us? After all, we, too, are down the road from Easter. Is there a message in here for us? Does Luke leave any travel tips for us in his retelling of this Resurrection appearance on the road to Emmaus?

Well, of course. Of course. This is God's Holy Word. Four tips to fill your post-Easter pockets.
1) The two disciples return to Jerusalem, share their good news with the others, and while there the Risen Lord appears to all of them, saying, first words of the Risen Lord, "Peace be with you."

"Peace be with you." The Risen Lord says this in Luke, he says this in John. First words.
Understand, Rome still rules. The chief priests and the scribes still miss the message, and mangle the messenger. The roads to Emmaus are still dusty and dry, as well as steep. We still have our challenges, heartaches and pains, disappointments and sorrow. But, first words of the Risen Lord, "Peace be with you." Which I take to mean, we are not alone!

This is what the Risen Lord tells the disciples gathered together in fear and persecution, in confusion and doubt. We are not alone.

"Lo, I will be with you to the end of the age." (Matthew)
"In my absence...receive the Holy Spirit." (John)
"Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved." (Mark)

Different vocabulary, same message: God is with us. So who can be against us! We can make it.
In fact, it is promised we are going to make it, for as Luke puts it, "behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you." So "Peace be with you."

2) Therefore, we can go out. We need not stay in hiding.   We need not live in fear. We need not be timid, tense, terrified, tentative, tiny.

We can go out. In fact, we must go out. Christ calls us, nay, Christ commissions us: "You are my witnesses..." (Luke)
"Go, therefore, to all peoples and make them my disciples, baptizing and teaching them..." (Matthew)
"Feed my sheep." (John)
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation." (Mark) Which sounds to me like this is good news for the plants and animals as well.

This is such good news, we cannot keep it for ourselves. We are commissioned to teach Christ's commandments. We are called to share the good news. "Go!"

And our world will know the difference, for peace will be with the world as well.

3) There is a stylistic approach prevalent in the Risen Lord, which we are to model, so the Lord tells us.

Isn't it marvelous of the six Marys in the New Testament, it is Mary Magdalene who appears at the tomb in every gospel account? Who better? Furthermore, in every gospel account, except Luke, it is Mary Magdalene to whom the Risen Lord first appears. In Luke the Risen Lord first appears to Cleopas and you.

Well, this sets us up for the way of the Lord, doesn't it? Listen to among the last words of the Risen Lord: "In Christ's name the message about repentance and the forgiveness of sins must be preached to all nations." (Luke) "If you forgive people's sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." (John)

Think about it. The main message of the Resurrection is forgiveness. It is about being forgiven, and who is without sin in the Bible or in this sanctuary. It is about being forgiven and about forgiving others as we have been forgiven. This is the Word of the Risen Lord.

4) And finally, a fourth Resurrection theme: we will find the Risen Lord like the disciples as we journey to Emmaus. We will find the Risen Lord on the roads of life, or upon the seas of Galilee, or in the urban habitations of Jerusalem, or in the wildernesses of Judah.

We will find the Risen Lord wherever we live and toil, wherever hospitality is offered to the stranger, wherever sinners are forgiven, and wherever care is provided to the least of God's children. We will find the Risen Lord. I am sure of it.

The Lord of life is not to be discovered in remote rooms removed from the daily grind, nor cloistered in caves, nor propped up in pious prayer towers. Though let's not limit the Lord. The Lord is there, too.

But more commonly our Easter faith occurs where common people live amidst the ordinary, routine, sometimes disappointing, and even broken events of life.   Our Easter occurs where human concerns are expressed, hopes are shared, and people are honest about themselves and their predicaments.

You see, Easter is celebrated as the Lord meets Mary with her tears, the women with their fears, Peter with his failures, Thomas with his doubts, and the disciples ambling aimlessly along the road of life.

Where else would we expect to meet the Lord of life, but right where we are on the road of life? So don't put your trumpets away yet. Let the Easter resound continue to sound in your corner of the world, for Christ is risen, and so are you, to the glory of God.

AMEN