Easter Sermon

I got a lot of good comments about this sermon - so I thought I would post it.
Happy Easter - Hope you spend some time in the "Resurrection Garden"

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.


In a presentation on leadership, the Itay Talgam a renowned Israeli conductor showed a series of video clips demonstrating different conductors and their styles and their effectiveness.. His last and best example was of Leonard Bernstein
The video showed him welcoming an orchestra of high school student from around the world who had been granted one week under his direction to perform Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring The first day of practice, the makeshift orchestra was discordant.
But Bernstein did not wield a baton as a symbol of his authority.
Instead, he stopped the music and spoke of the feelings Stravinsky sought to evoke, of the smell of spring grass, of waking animals.
Talgram said this: “He empowers people by telling them their world is larger than they think.”
Cut to a week later, and the high school orchestra sat attentively before Bernstein, who looked on with obvious satisfaction as an assembly of young strangers achieved musical harmony

And maybe that is a good story to start an Easter message with.
Easter is about seeing more – not just that our world is larger than we think, but that God is bigger than we can imagine Easter is God’s final way to show us God’s empowering presence.
Join me this morning as we go with Mary to the resurrection garden -And I am going to give you several definitions of what that is:
- One definition of the resurrection garden - a place where we are surprised –
Let us remember how Mary was when she went into the garden
First she was grief stricken
Second was confused
Third expecting death. She came to the tomb and expected to find a dead body - because she had watched him die. And while Jesus had certainly stretched boundaries – healings, miracles, exorcisms – dead is dead
Because how often is that our condition.
All Lent we have been preparing for the passion as we face the times of alienation, dislocation, waiting, and suffering that are part of life. And today we face death.
We are constantly experiencing loss, and confusion and walk around saying things like “it is what it is” - or “whatever”
With the underlying question - “is this all there is?”
And never imagining that it could be different

Until we come to the resurrection garden
Definition - it is the place where you go expecting death and finding life
Definition - It is a place of encounter with the living Christ
Definition - It is a place that disorients our assumption about who is powerful in the world and reorients our perspective on what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ

This is what Mary found and we find when we go to the resurrection garden

1. all things are possible - death will not have the last word, our God has power that is more than we can see on this earth - and it extends to the next.
When we experience that - we live in a place of radical amazement. God has shown us what God can do. We are amazed by that. The material will not have the last word - there is more at work and God’s love and power extends beyond life on earth
Someone said: “Awareness of the divine begins with wonder”

The life of Jesus on earth began with the angel saying - all things are possible with God
And then here we see - finally with God overcoming death.
And this is more than daffodils blooming in the spring, Easter lilies and blaring trumpets

The message here is that death will not have the last word – that life will go on after the life that we can see here on earth
As Jesus told the disciples that he would prepare a place for them – that same promise is given to us.
And because of Easter – we believe it. Death is swallowed up in victory

All things are possible from birth- to death – to beyond.
The resurrection garden is one more place where we see the inbreaking of God into our world. There is more here than we know
This is a power that comes when we least expect it and transforms our lives.

- 2. Jesus wants to be in relationship with us - calling us by name - and it is more than God is creative and working in the world. The resurrection garden is a place of experience. And that experience we see in all the post resurrection stories are different with different people. -
- It is that God is using us - calling us - penetrating our lives with God’s word and God’s way and God’s spirit
Story - about the atheist who said - “Give me one good reason why you believe that Jesus rose again? - and the Christian friend answered - “Because I spoke to him today.”
Most favorite hymn of many people - which we will sing today - in the garden - and he walks with me and he talks with me

- 3. we have something to share – “I have seen the Lord “- cannot be kept to ourselves - that is our response
- We see the Lord at work in our lives - and I have heard stories
- Like when you were at the end of your rope and the Lord spoke your name and you knew he was there and found hope to keep going
- Or when you were near death and God touched you and you were given more years to live– (Shirley lincicome’s story)
- Or you felt I was worthless and had no purpose and God touched you and gave you a place where I could serve others and make a difference in the world
- We have a church full of people who have stories to share of times that God intervened in your life and changed your condition and your direction.
- The resurrection garden is the place where we experienced the inbreaking of God into our lives and into our world

Now there are reasons we don’t share that story much – because it is always open to alternative interpretations
- like this resurrection story – maybe Jesus never really died, maybe Mary made it up
- with our stories – we can say – well, you were lucky, or
- Or the doctors healed you, or you were stronger than you knew

We also are reticent because we may be afraid that sharing the story sounds like we are bragging or something – I Saw the Lord

But the resurrection garden is a place of grace and transformation
And that something to share is not about what we did - but about what God did

And let me be clear about the grace - it is not that I kept the faith, it is not that I lived in expectation, it is not that I did anything
Grace! It is for people who fall away, get confused, have very low expectations.
Grace! God shows up when you least expect to see God
Life in the places where you expect death

And it is transformation - how can we not be changed - changed in that moment of course - as despair turns to joy
But changed in a way that happens because we start to expect more - knowing that that resurrection garden comes anytime and anywhere
(A recent Pew Center Report states that 50% of mainline Christians have experienced moments of spiritual transcendence. There are mystics in every pew; but we seldom share our stories).
Easter! calls us to claim and to share the moments of new life and holy presence. Resurrection challenges us to listen for Jesus calling our name in the garden.
Easter faith - not you believe it because the Bible tells you so (or because your Mother told you!)- but you believe it because you have been to the resurrection garden yourself
End with two questions
1. When have you been in the resurrection garden ? when have you had an experience where you knew that God was at work in your life Suggestions - it isn’t usually a garden
It can be a kitchen when you meet a defiant adolescent or a distant spouse and through God’s supernatural power are able to experience reconciliation
It may be a hospital room - where you face a grim future and through God’s supernatural power find more hope and more time to live
It may be in a classroom - where you think that there is nothing there for you - and through God’s supernatural power you experience a spark of light and love between students and teacher
And it may be in your heart - a heart that has been hardened by hurt and closed off by pain - and through God’s supernatural power we experience the stirring of love and care from another and for another. And something is changing within you.
It is grace and it is change and it is the resurrection garden.
It is the place where you encounter the mystery of God’s presence and the love of our Lord Jesus
And as Mary recognized the Lord in the garden, you two see God’s fingerprints on the events of your life and find comfort and trust and excitement. And then Like Mary - you share that news
I have seen the Lord – and that is the final question – who have you shared your story with? Who have you told your experiences to? I have seen the Lord.
I can say it to you - I see the Lord in your faces, I see the Lord in the life of this church, I see the lord at work in my own life - bringing healing and reconciliation and peace.
I see the Lord. I talk about it in some form or fashion every week.
But now after Easter –After you have been to the Resurrection Garden - it is your turn!