The tomb is empty

 Luke 24:1-12

The tomb is empty! It’s Easter morning, but the women don’t know that yet. They are on the way to the tomb, to wash the body and pack it in fragrant spices. As they walk, they weep and they tell stories about their beloved master Jesus. I remember the way he looked everyone in their eyes. I remember the time he fed so many people, and there were leftovers! He healed me of all those demons – I’m a new person since then.

 But, they killed him! He did say he would suffer and die here. And that sure came true. They arrested him and tried him and Pilate had him crucified, all in a few hours. We thought he would be our new king. Not a king: the Son of God. We thought he would make everything new, and just. No more poverty and hunger. Peace, shalom for all.

I wonder if the rest of what he said will come true, too. He said he would be raised on the third day. That’s today. I wonder what we will find at the tomb. Oh, I’m not so sure about that raising. It’s not possible. Dead is dead. But what about Jairus’ daughter? He raised her – no, he said she was just sleeping! I’m telling you, she was dead, and then she was alive!  

They arrived at the tomb, to discover that the stone had been rolled away and the body was missing. Curiosity and panic and fear. Then reassurance in the words of the men in dazzling clothes. Remember …

They run to tell the others, but the men say the women tell idle tales. They are making up stories to help themselves feel better. But, still, Peter hopes their words are true and runs to the tomb to see for himself! They all go to see the tomb, and it’s empty!

… The tomb is empty! Jesus came into a world of injustice, of prejudice, of inequality. He healed people, he calmed the seas, he fed multitudes. He ate with Pharisees and tax collectors. Love God, love your neighbors, is what he said. All your neighbors, he said. And his speech and actions got him killed.

He was raised from death, into the same world of injustice, of prejudice, of inequality. But the world is different now, because Jesus’ followers learned to speak as he spoke, and more, to do as he did. Jesus’ followers love their neighbors, all their neighbors, offering them whatever they need.

… The tomb is empty! What does this mean for us? If God can raise a man from the dead, then God can do anything! And with God’s help, we can do anything God sends us to do.

We can feed the hungry. We can visit those who are sick or homebound and raise their spirits.  We can make all people welcome in our favorite places.  We can even speak up and speak out against injustice. All together, we can change the community, the city, the state, the nation. Together, we can change the world!

… And a story. One final story to share about my trip to eastern Europe in 1987. If you are old enough, you probably remember the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In 1987, there were a few hints of the future. Mikael Gorbachev was the President of the USSR, and his vision of a freer world was expressed in the concept of glasnost. We didn’t know yet if we could trust him, but for the moment it seemed world peace was possible.

It was easter Sunday morning, and we were in St Petersburg, called Leningrad in those days. We again went to church, where the people were delighted to learn that we were Americans. We were told, We don’t hate Americans. It’s just the leaders who do.

It is a tradition to give eggs to each other on  Easter, and soon, we found we had an abundance of eggs. Some were beautifully decorated, some were not. We filled our bags or pockets with them. And some, we learned to our dismay, were not cooked.

For a little while, there was peace, shalom, mir, among cold war enemies in a church in Russia.

… I have hope that peace among enemy nations can happen again. Maybe next time, it will last longer.

I have hope that we can find more ways to feed hungry people, or to end hunger forever.

I have hope that we can help people manage their anger in ways that don’t involve guns and death.

I have hope that science can lead us to miracles of healing in thousands of ways.

I have hope for so many things. Maybe I’ll see them in what’s left of my lifetime. The tomb is empty, after all, so anything is possible.

Amen