Whom Are You Looking For: Theย Lord is Risen!
REV. CHRISTIANย BARON -March 27, 2016- EASTER SUNDAY,ย John 20:1-18
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spiritโฆ Amen
Good morning. Happy Easter! Goodnessโฆ Lent seemed extra long this year didnโt it? Extra coldโฆ extra darkโฆ Am I wrong? Iโm so happy for the warmth and the sunshine and the Resurrection. Glad you are here with me. If you are visiting, weโre glad you are here with us.
The past few days have been a whirlwind. Maunday Thursdayโฆ Good Fridayโฆ Holy Saturdayโฆ the Easter Vigil last night. ย It has been a special and wonderful week.
I have been struck this week by the text and the usage of the word โwhom.โ ย The good Friday passage Jesus asks the authorities twice โwhom are you looking for?โ ย Turns out they were looking for Jesus. They were looking for him so that they could try him and kill him. ย So that they could bring Jesus to a rigged trial. The trial of a man, Jesus, who was in fact guilty of insurrection. ย Thatโs rightโฆ Jesus wasnโt an innocent victim. He wasnโt innocent of his chargesโฆ He shouldnโt be pitied because he was, in fact, guilty of creating an uprising against the powers of darkness.
It is quite a storyโฆ an amazing narrativeโฆ a story of power and authorityโฆ of struggle and oppressionโฆ. And until last nightโฆ we lostโฆ those who are friendly with Jesus Christโฆ those who consider Jesus their Lord and Kingโฆ we lostโฆ Until last nightโฆand this morningโฆ ย the Romans and those who participated in a system of injustice, in fact wonโฆ they killed the biggest threat to that power and to that systemโฆ
But this morningโฆ last nightโฆ Christ overcame their efforts… ย Overcame deathโฆ Showed us a new kingdomโฆ Overcame a system of sinโฆ Taught us a new way to see power and weaknessโฆ He responded to their hatred with loveโฆ a love that could overcome death.
And then in the gospel for today Jesus asks Mary, โWhom are you looking for?โ ย And she still doesnโt recognize her good friend Jesusโฆ
And in this storyโฆ the story of resurrectionโฆ people are changed by Godโs actionโฆ changed by the work of God who overcame deathโฆ.
Jesus and the disciple that Jesus lovedโฆ Johnโฆ return home after finding the tomb empty. They find an empty tomb with the burial rags wrapped upโฆ folded nicelyโฆ burial rags that are no longer needed because the dead man is risenโฆ Whom are you looking for, Peter? ย Whom are you looking for, John? ย And Peter and John return home to their livesโฆ forever changedโฆ
And Maryโฆ the woman that loved Jesus in a way that no other human couldโฆ finally sawโฆ finally realized that Jesus was in fact aliveโฆ In fact, Jesus had been dead but, had now been raised from the deadโฆ And Mary, who had anointed Jesus before the last supper and who had arrived at the tomb to anoint him after his deathโฆ was the first to see himโฆ It was a special experience for her to be able to experience the resurrected Jesusโฆ ย Changed foreverโฆ Whom are you looking for, Mary? Whom are you looking for?
And Jesus himself was changedโฆ Things were so realโฆ so intenseโฆ that Jesus couldnโt be touchedโฆ Things were too newโฆ too brightโฆ too realโฆ his physical body couldnโt be touched by a human beingโฆ
This morning we have two baptisms. ย Erica and Penelopeโฆ I think it is pretty fantastic that we have an adult baptism and a baptism of a baby. ย Two human beings who will experience an ontological change. ย A change that will affect the trajectory of the rest of both of their lives. ย And we pray that they will both continue the path to be like Jesusโฆ. Whom are you looking for, Erica and Penelope? ย Whom are you looking for?
If we had a full immersion baptism font, I think the imagery would be a bit more clear. The baptism candidate would be placed under the water to signify deathโฆ death to the individual desire and then raised into a new life with Christโฆ Death to the old Kingdom and raised up into a life in the new oneโฆ into a life in Christ the King who constantly sacrificed himself for the good of all and not himselfโฆ
And you alsoโฆ Grace Episcopal Churchโฆ You are called to renew your baptismal covenant. ย You too are called to be changed by the resurrectionโฆ
and you visitorโฆ you too are called to this. You are called to treat all of humanityโฆ and all of creation with dignity and respectโฆ ย and to be a good humanโฆ
Becauseโฆ for you and Iโฆ for Peter and John and Maryโฆ for Erica and Penelopeโฆ because of the resurrection of Jesus, we can experience resurrection in our own livesโฆ we must experience it. And, we are called to proclaim resurrection in the lives of those around us and to assist God in that work. ย We are called to help all of humanity get into positionโฆ to get into the tomb, like Jesus… so that they can experience it for themselves. So that all of creation can proclaim the Resurrectionโฆ So all of creation can experience new life.
And so today we feastโฆ we will go home and eat our ham or what-not and remember that because God has chosen to become a human and because he has raised Jesus from the dead, that we are not to fastโฆ that we are instead to feastโฆ We fasted for 40 daysโฆ and now we shall feast for 50โฆ May it be a 50 day feast to remember!
Praise be to Godโฆ
Amen.