Westwood Presbyterian Church

March 23th, 2008

197 Browning  Boulevard, Winnipeg, Manitoba  R3K 0L1

REV. PETER BUSH's SERMONS

Matthew 28: 1-20

 

Easter Sunday

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were on their way to the tomb to get some closure - the events of the last week - the last 72 hours - had been a blur - they needed to decompress - to say "good-bye" to Jesus who they had followed and loved. They needed to shed some more tears and then close the book on that aspect of their lives and move on. That was the plan - that was the goal.

Just as they were arriving at the tomb - which was guarded by Roman soldiers - there was an earthquake and an angel came down and moved the stone out of the way - and the soldiers were so afraid - they fainted away. And then the angel turned to the women and said, "Don't you be afraid,"

The angel went on to say - "I know you have come to grieve Jesus who was crucified - he is not here - he has been raised just as he said he would be. If you don't believe me have a look in the tomb - see it is empty."

And before the women could process what was going on - the angel said - "Now go and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead - and they will meet him in Galilee."

And then comes this wonderful line - the angel says "Now I have told you." It is like the angel is saying - "What more do you need to know - you have seen the tomb empty, you have heard the amazing news that Jesus is risen from the dead, and I have given you a message to proclaim - what more do you need? - get going."

"Don't be afraid - now go and tell."

And so the women go - afraid (how could they not be afraid - this stuff does not happen - the dead don't come back to life - Roman soldiers didn't faint away - angels didn't come down from heaven every day) - of course they were afraid - and they are filled with joy. Joy that the book is not closed - that a new chapter was being written ­ certainly a chapter they had no idea what it might include - but a new chapter nonetheless. And as they are hurrying to tell the disciples they meet Jesus - and he says, "Hello." A journey that began with the goal of saying "Good-bye" has been changed by a simple "Hello." And the women worship Jesus - what else are you going to do when the dead come back to life - when the one you saw crucified is there in front of you alive?

Again the two-part refrain - "Don't be afraid and go tell my brothers and sisters that I will meet them in Galilee."

A tangent for a moment -- a tangent that is in the text. The soldiers who had been guarding the tomb revive from their faint - see the tomb empty, the angel gone, the body gone - and they have a problem. So they come up with the first attempt to discredit the resurrection - Jesus' disciples stole the body while the soldiers were asleep. Major problems with this story - 1. Roman soldiers did not fall asleep on the job - soldiers who did that faced severe punishment. 2. Jesus' disciples were in no shape courage-wise to try and steal the body - and anyways they believed Jesus was dead forever. 3. How did the soldiers know what happened when they were asleep?

But the soldiers are the first in a long line of people who have tried to explain the empty tomb without allowing for the possibility that God raised Jesus to life again. The alternative explanations range from Jesus not actually dying on the cross and then in the cool of the tomb he revived - removed the stone and pushed his way through the soldiers; to the women hallucinated the whole thing. For me the alternatives are even more unbelievable than the straight-forward story that the women present - God raised Jesus Christ to life again.

But back to the women and the disciples - the women tell their story to the other followers of Jesus - and the women are believed. So the followers of Jesus meet with Jesus in Galilee. And there they all worship him - although some still have doubts and uncertainties - still there are questions. And there we hear the double refrain again ­Don't be afraid - "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me." Go tell ­ "therefore go and make disciples - baptizing and teaching."

And suddenly the Easter story is not just about events that happened nearly 2,000 years ago in a distant country. No, the double refrain hits home to us - we are called to not be afraid - because the risen Lord has all authority and has promised to be with us through everything. And that is a message that our world desperately needs to hear. For we live in a world that is full of fear - where anxiety weighs on us - on our neighbourhoods - on everything that we do - and it saps us of courage, of the ability to be bold, of the chance to step out. But here the Risen Lord says - "Don't be afraid."

What gives Jesus, the Risen Lord, the ability to say that with any confidence? The answer: Jesus died and God raised him to life again. If Jesus can beat death - then there is nothing else that it is frightening. If death is the worst that can happen, Jesus says, "That is okay - I have been there and done that." I don't mean to be flippant - but after the resurrection of Jesus death's power to immobilize us with fear is broken.

Yes, the disciples still wondered what was going on - still had questions - they didn't have all the answers - but that did not matter - they had the assurance that the Risen Lord would be with them even to the end of time.

And so the second part of the double refrain rings - "Go tell" - go, tell those who are caught in fear - that they do not need to be afraid anymore - go, tell those who threaten that we are not afraid - go, tell those who want to live with courage to go for it. This news is too good, too important, too powerful to keep to ourselves.

The Risen Lord says to us - "Don't be afraid" - and "Go tell a world full of fear - that I have defeated fear - for I have defeated death."

Yes, we can feel a little shaky about this new chapter - for this is not the end -- rather it is a beginning. No closure here. But the joy of knowing that the Risen Lord is with us on this journey overwhelms our fear.

The Risen Lord says to us - "Don't be afraid" - "Go, and tell" May we respond with great joy knowing that we have nothing to fear.