The Gospel Lesson                                                                    Mark 16:1-8

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

And all that had been commanded them they told briefly to those around Peter. And afterward Jesus himself sent out through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Amen.
Sermon Text – Easter Sunday

Easter is here! We celebrate Christ’s resurrection and proclaim that death has no claim over life. In dying Christ has set us free from Sin and in rising again Christ has opened the door for use to live eternally. The resurrection is the foundation of our faith. If the resurrection did not happen then we would have no reason to gather together as God’s people. The Kingdom would have remained closed, a potential that never came to be. Despite the many different cultures and contexts, opinions and practices that Christians have – here in the resurrection we find common ground. We all share in this New Birth and we all proclaim it today as one people.

Our scripture for the day captures the first reaction that Jesus’s followers had to the resurrection. Several women came to Christ’s tomb to properly bury him. He had been left without any preparation because a holy day was starting as he died. The women gathered to give him a proper burial, to show him the honor that a life like his was worthy of. They worried as they waked there, realizing that they were not capable of opening the tomb which had been sealed with a large rock. They walked on though, confident that they would enter somehow and finish their work.

They arrive at the tomb to find the rock has already been moved and the guards on duty had left their station. Thoughts flood through their minds of what could have happened. Did the soldiers take their teacher and hide him away? Worse yet, have they put him out as an example somewhere? Maybe they left and grave robbers pried open the door looking for treasures that simply were not there. Whatever has happened it must not be good…

They enter though, not sure what is going to happen. Inside they find a man dressed in white, and he tells them that Christ has risen from the dead and is no longer there. They are told to leave and tell the other disciples what had happened, and where Christ would find them.

The women are described as fleeing the scene, not just leaving. They run as fast as they can because they are terrified. The two words translated as fear and amazement literally mean “trembling and ecstasy.” On one hand they are shaking with fear, but on the other they are so shocked at what just happened that they seem to be in a different world entirely. Elsewhere, “Ecstasy,” is used to describe religious visions. The women fleeing the tomb are in a new reality from what they had been in before. Before this moment, death was absolute, and now resurrection is possible. Before this moment, Christ had lost to the powers of this world, and now Christ had overcome them all.

The other Gospels include stories of the disciples meeting with Jesus and him giving further instructions of how to conduct themselves on their way to Galilee. Mark keeps it simple. Older Bibles may include a longer ending to Mark, but this was added later to make it seem more like the longer Gospels. In the original version of Mark the story is left open, because the story of what Christ has done is not over. The terror of the moment, the amazement of a new world being born, all leads to us being in this room today – and to us going into the world to do God’s will.

We all get to enjoy God’s goodness and we all are able to take part in God’s new Kingdom. The light shines in the darkness and it cannot be stopped. The sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal life is ours to make and the world needs to hear it. Our life is always meant to tell the story of God’s work in this world, but today especially we must proclaim God’s goodness. Go out into the world then, to all people you meet, and let the love of God shine out. Proclaim the resurrection and the life and celebrate. Christ has overcome all obstacles let us worship him and take part in the life we have been freely offered. – Amen.