Easter Hope
A Sermon by the Rev. Peter De Franco
Easter Sunday
John 20:1-18
20Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10Then the disciples returned to their homes. 11But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” 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.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
Easter celebrates God’s gift of new life. We celebrate this wonder when the earth is waking up from winter and bursts forth in beauty. Flowers dazzle us with their beautiful displays, trees putting forth leaves in a multiplicity of shades of green, yes, don’t our allergies tell us about the trees! On this beautiful Easter Day, God smiles on us as we celebrate this Resurrection Hope.
Last year, 33 of us gathered outside on the Great Lawn of the Church to celebrate this wonderful day. We gathered together for the first time in a long time as God’s beloved community. In the year after Easter 2021, God blessed us with new members joining our congregation, with former members returning to regular patterns of in person worship, with an expanded congregation worshipping with us on line.
God indeed is gracious with us. God regularly comes to us.
We only need Resurrection Hope to anticipate God’s presence and celebrate that presence when God arrives. Each of us faces difficult challenges in our lives, moments when everything we anticipated and hoped for are turned upside down and our world is devastated and without hope.
On Good Friday, Mary Magdalene felt that same feeling of disorientation, of unimagined grief, of a world without hope. She goes to the tomb of Jesus perhaps to mourn her loss and just when she thinks all is lost it gets worse. She plans to weep at the tomb of her beloved Jesus but sees an empty tomb and can only imagine one word: robbers. Robbers have taken his body.
She runs to tell the disciples perhaps hoping they would round up a search party. They too are baffled and return to their homes. You can just imagine her thoughts: “Typical men: Useless!”
Distraught she returns to the tomb, standing and weeping. Four times the gospel speaks of her tears. Mary has fallen into a grief which walls her off from everyone and everything. Her hope has slipped away.
Perhaps she heard a rustle behind her and she turns away from the tomb to see the persons she thinks is the gardener. Jesus comes to her but her grief blinds her to his presence. Her eyes of faith are closed. She lost her faith because she first lost all hope.
Even though she is looking at Jesus she does not see him. Then Jesus speaks her name: Mary. Again she turns, not with her body but with her heart. She turns to the one who calls her name and her heart sees.
This turning of our heart comes as the message of Easter. Jesus turns our hearts by calling us by our name. Jesus calls each of us. Jesus points us in a new direction, points us to a future with hope.
Each of us will know sorrow and disappointment. We know that as sure as we know the Easter bunny will deliver a stash of chocolate and candy to our homes.
Over this past week, we have been in training for that inevitable moment. We discovered that a deep love, Jesus profound love, surrounds us. We discovered that we need a faith that looks deeper than tragedy to discern God’s action transforming the world.
We discovered that a resurrection hope gets us through until resurrection faith leads to rediscover Jesus right before our eyes.
That Risen Christ comes to you today. Christ comes to you within your heart as you hear the gospel assuring you that Christ is risen. Christ comes to you in the Holy Eucharist, a real presence to nourish you, to touch your heart with love. Christ comes to you in your need, whenever you need that strength, that courage, that resolve. Christ never abandons you. Your faith may miss his presence. Your hope may wander. Your love will steady your hearts and when you hear Jesus speak your name in the depth of your heart you will rediscover Easter.
Enjoy the beauty of today’s worship, delight in family gatherings later this afternoon and when the evening comes to a close reflect on the day and allow the mystery of the Risen Christ to sanctify your night and all the days to come.