Feast of the Resurrection

Feast of the Resurrection Easter Sunday Morning April 8, 2012 Don't Be Afraid! He Is Risen! Matthew 28 + Mark 16 + Luke 24 + John 20 Dear friends, The details had started trickling out. Like most breaking news stories, the news that the tomb is empty at first produced only a few confusing details. The evangelists—literally, the good messengers—Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—put eyes on the tomb where Jesus' dead body had lately rested. With their words, we see through the eyes of the women at the tomb. Mark and Luke named them, Matthew named the Marys, John just Mary Magdalene. But the angelic message is the same: “Don't be afraid! He's not here! He's risen!” From a distance of almost 2,000 years we watch this historic day unfold. We hear the first Easter sermon preached by the angelic pastors. It was a short and to the point. Again: “Don't be afraid! He's not here! He's risen!” He's risen means that Jesus the son of Mary is truly the Son of God. He's risen means that the punishment for our sin endured by Jesus the Crucified, Dead, and Buried has been accepted by His Father. He's risen means that His Father becomes our Father in heaven. He's risen means that Death's tombstone itself has been shoved aside—it means that Death stops being our doom and instead is now our door to life with God that lasts forever! During these last 40 days, as we moved closer and closer to the occupied cross, the empty tomb was never far from our minds. And during the next 50 days, as the empty tomb is slowly pushed out of our minds by the cares of this world, stay close to the occupied cross. By remembering the cross, you remember the tomb. Cross and tomb, one with Jesus and one without, cannot be separated from the other. The cross is the payment; the tomb is the receipt of payment. You can't buy a house without money; you can't own the house without the deed. Otherwise, you're homeless and simply squatting in someone else's house. If the cross was empty or the tomb full, we would be squatters, without a home to our name, and definitely afraid and scared that we would be discovered and evicted from our temporary illusion of shelter. But Jesus finds us first and tells us that He owns us. His name is now our name—Christians. So Mary, Salome, Mary, Peter, John, Luke, Mark, and Matthew and all of you Christians, don't be afraid! He's risen just like He promised! His home is now yours! In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.