John
20:11-18
Easter, April 4, 2010
Allan Klassen
Why Are You Weeping?
Koheleth, the Preacher of Ecclesiastes, reminded his audience that, “For everything there is a season … a time to weep and a time to laugh (or rejoice); a time to mourn and a time to dance”. (Ecclesiastes 3:14) Without question the last few days for the followers of Jesus have been a time for weeping. Their world of the three previous years has come crashing down around their ears. The hosannas of a week ago have been drowned out by shouts to “crucify him”, and even Peter’s misguided attempts at defense have been thwarted. And so, after an inordinate amount of buck passing and hand washing, Jesus has been led away to be crucified.
This culminates a week of confusion and disappointment for those close to Jesus. Their emotional pendulums have swung from the jubilant high of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem to the depths of despair and grief as they watched their friend, teacher, and mentor die a criminal’s death. They have struggled to make sense of the person and the events to which they have been privy over the last three years, but cannot, because of the overwhelming emotions of doubt and fear. Has it all been a dream, and a bad dream at that?
So it is not surprising that the cold, dark, dampness of pre-dawn finds Mary Magdalene weeping at the entrance to Jesus’ tomb. She is there because she is following the custom of that time and society which was to visit the tomb of a loved one for three days after the body had been laid to rest. She is following the custom centered in the belief that for three days after death the spirit hovered around the tomb. But after three days it departed because the body had become unrecognizable through decay. So our text finds Mary Magdalene at the tomb, and she is weeping because that is the natural and the appropriate response upon the death of one we love.
But behold, today everything is changed, and now is no longer the time for weeping! Today is a day unlike any other day. Today is a day to celebrate life! Today defeat has turned into victory and death has given way to life. The stone has been removed from the tomb and God is no longer held captive by death. And so the question to Mary (and to us) is, “Why are you weeping?” There may well be reasons to weep because of inadvertent or deliberate complicity in the events leading to Good Friday. But the good news this morning is that even that shame or regret is literally rolled away in the glorious miracle of Easter. So, it is God’s angels and the very person of God asking why there is still weeping. The implication in the question is that the appropriate response now is not one of sadness, but rather of joy and celebration.
There are various understandings of what it means to be joyful. C. S. Lewis, in writing about joyful Christianity was very deliberate in pointing out that joy is not entirely synonymous with either happiness or pleasure. Joy is a condition of the heart which is not solely dependant on external circumstances.
Rather, it is an attitude that finds its basis in a power that is unshaken by the vagaries of life’s situations. Its integrity finds its expression, not in fleeting hallelujahs, but in serenity and faithful love.
The Christian life may well be seen as serious business, but that does not mean that it must necessarily be somber. Tony Campolo gives expression to some of that sentiment in his book, “The Kingdom of God is a Party”. “Party” is described not as indulgence in frivolous excesses, but rather as joyous and unapologetic celebration. Jesus himself described God’s kingdom as a great feast with an unrestricted guest list. Some traditions and ethnic groups work more deliberately and more energetically at celebration than others of us. They participate in celebrations that go well beyond mere casual observance and which may also involve considerable expense and preparation. We err in regarding those types of celebrations as inappropriate and/or poor stewardship. Perhaps rather than “observing” special occasions we would do better to celebrate them, celebrate them with joyous abandon, understanding that we do so with God’s encouragement and blessing.
Easter is one of those times of celebration. Indeed, it is the ultimate occasion of celebration for the church! Joan Chittister in her commentary about the liturgical year of the church, describes Easter as “the reason for all the feasts of the church”. (p.159, The Liturgical Year) Chittister goes on to say that “those who see the spiritual life as a life of restrictions and demands, of only yes or no, of life bounded by limits and denial, fail entirely to understand that the spirituality of the liturgical year is a spirituality for the living and the joyful, the insightful and the wise, as well as for the suffering and the sinful. It makes of us the spiritual poets who see the beauty of life … life which over time becomes one great happy feast day”.
So let us rejoice today, and in all our days, that God is alive! The powers of death could not and cannot hold our God captive! Easter is the supreme time to celebrate the joyous mystery of life. Easter is a time to celebrate that God’s grace and forgiveness is extended to the thief on the cross beside Jesus, extended even to those who condemned Jesus to death, and extended also to us. Like the father in Luke’s parable, the God of Easter waits for us with open arms, waits for us to join in the feast prepared for our arrival – waits for us to experience life to the fullest. So the question to Mary Magdalene, and to us this morning is, “Why are you weeping?”
It is a question we could also ask ourselves as we come to the Lord’s Table to receive Communion. In contemplation of the meaning of Communion, I feel that at times we make of the service a too solemn, almost somber, experience. To say that we “celebrate” Communion sometimes feels like an oxymoron. Now I realize that in heeding the words of institution we are commemorating Christ’s suffering and death. But the Eucharist is also a proclamation and a celebration of the work of God. In participating in the Eucharist we are acknowledging and celebrating the assurance of forgiveness of sins.
In Communion, as in the Easter season, we are very much aware of the cross, but we also joyously move beyond it to the empty tomb and the good news of resurrection and new life. Communion has the same root as community. So while our celebration this morning, and every time we gather around the Lord’s Table is a celebration of God’s work in our lives and in our world, it is also a celebration of all that which binds us together. It is a celebration that we are fellow travelers on a journey of faith. It is a celebration of the love, and care, and support we offer and receive from each other. This is an important part of the good news of the gospel.
Into that community we today formally and joyously welcome Jeremy Enns. As we share in his baptism, we also renew our own baptismal vows as disciples of the God of life who is able to conquer even death itself. In doing this at Easter we are following a long standing tradition of the church. Historically, it is during the Easter Vigil that people are baptized and adult catechumens are received into full communion with the church. And after the celebration of these sacraments of initiation, the congregation renews their own baptismal vows and receives the symbolic sprinkling of baptismal water. We won’t do the congregational sprinkling part, but perhaps it would be good to do so. In our baptism we declare ourselves to be part of that great cloud of witnesses who claim God’s promises of life in abundance, and commit ourselves to living in ways that bring life to all around us as well.
So this morning is not the time to be weeping! This morning is the time to celebrate the living God of Easter. This morning is the time to celebrate the God who has power over life and death, but who notwithstanding that power, loves and cares for each of us. And this morning is the time to celebrate the love and care which we have for each other. It is the time to celebrate the privilege of being part of a community which provides support, encouragement, and direction.
As we share the bread and wine let us recount the events of Good Friday, let us remember the suffering and death of Christ on the cross. But let us also celebrate the fact that Christ is risen, that God is alive, that the love of God will never die. Let us respond to the invitation to accept this love and forgiveness which is the good news of Easter. And let us share this good news gladly with all. Alleluia! Christ is risen! Alleluia! He is risen indeed! Amen.