St Thomas Blog
Easter Day sermon
Tuesday 2nd April 2024
Easter Day 2024 Revd Sarah
When my grandparents retired, they announced that they were going to use their newfound freedom and explore Scotland, which was a lifelong ambition. They had gathered some savings and were going to take their time and see all of the sights. There was some concern when we got a phone call two weeks later - is everything ok? "Yes," they replied, "we've done Scotland!" They had indeed covered thousands of miles, visiting famous landmarks and cities, although we suspected that they had packed sandwiches and a flask each morning and never got out of the car! A tour of the carparks of Scotland might have been a better description.
We are following Mark's gospel this year and sometimes it can feel as though it's all happening at a similar pace. We are travelling at breakneck speed and taking corners on two wheels. Pack your sandwiches and buckle up.
I'll give you an example: There is no time for a birth narrative, no sheep or manger here. We start with the story of Jesus's baptism; there's a verse from the prophet Isaiah thrown in which is from the context of God's redemption of his people's sins and a promise of their rescue from exile in Babylon. It's a sparkling jewel but there's no time to examine it now. Mark's gospel is full of 'suddenly', 'next' and 'immediately' like a tour bus which never slows down.
We hear of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, stories of storms calmed, miraculous healings, multitudes of people fed, the dead raised and so on. Peter's declaration that Jesus is the Messiah. Then, as with all of the gospels, the timeline stretches out during the final days of Jesus' earthly life, reaching the detailed testimony of interrogations by the high priest and by Pilate, the torment, betrayal, crucifixion and death.
Next the women reach the open tomb and find that the stone has been rolled away.
A young man dressed in white robe, speaks, saying that Jesus has been raised, they are to tell the disciples and go to Galilee. The final sentence of Mark's Gospel is:
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. The End!
There is fear and amazement and fleeing and silence.
If we have unanswered questions, imagine the first hearers of this gospel, possibly siting in open spaces or gathered in people's homes: gripped by the fast-paced drama, inspired by the stories of Jesus who touches their lives and reaches their hearts, and them holding their breath as the story unfolds, until silence ... and then the uproar of questions and emotion.
I love to read stories when I am in school and then finding a good place to stop - perhaps where the hero is dangling by the fingertips from a cliff edge - literally a cliffhanger - and then closing the book and sending the children to get their coats and bags to go home. Closing the book at that point on a Friday afternoon certainly gets a reaction! As one child said, "Miss, when you do that, it's just like Eastenders!"
• So, is this ending deliberate or is there simply a missing page?
This sudden ending to Mark's gospel, appears to be authentic as it is found consistently in earliest manuscripts. Additionally, his stories often end with 'for' eg the disciples were afraid, for they did not yet understand.
If you read Mark's gospel you'll see that there is an alternative, longer ending, yet it has a different literary style and contains other source material which Mark hasn't previously used. The other gospels take us further, for instance Matthew who continues with terror to joy (Matt28.8b) and Luke 24.10b, 22-24 - but not Mark.
• This ending forces us to remain with the mystery: living in the unknown and uncertainty.
Jesus' death and resurrection changes everything but who can explain exactly what happens on the cross, in the silence, at the resurrection? It is utterly and beautifully beyond us, except for a response of wonder and gratitude and amazement and a fearful shudder that something has happened which changes everything.
• Raises questions and requires work from the listener.
Has Jesus really risen from the dead or has his body been taken away? Who is the man in white? It deliberately avoids the trend for reading a passage from scripture and informing the listener what it means.
• Possibility for misunderstandings.
My son has been listening to discussion programme about Jesus' resurrection where different explanations have been given:
Perhaps Jesus simply suffered from terrible heatstroke and needed to lie down in a nice, cool tomb to recover. I queried how he might also have survived the stab wound but apparently this could be easily explained by suffering from excess fluid retention! It did sound as though the discussion concluded that the resurrection was difficult to explain away.
• Mark's gospel not only ends abruptly but ends with women as witnesses.
This is an extraordinary fact given that women were not seen as credible witnesses at this time. Indeed, one of the early criticisms of Christianity was the reliance on women's accounts; surely more reliable testimony could have found.
Yet the gospel accounts insist on using their testimony. Their voices are heard.
Easy for us to scorn the women yet -
After the hurried burial of Jesus' body, three courageous women go to anoint him.
Mary Magdalene provides continuity of witness accounts as she was present at the crucifixion along with Mary the mother of James (and / or Joses) and Salome. She and Mary also saw where he was buried, then all 3 return to complete the burial ritual. Mary Magdalene is known as the apostle to the apostles for this reason. It is obvious that at some stage they find the courage to recount their story.
Invites us to do the work
The unnamed speaker in white instructs them to reconsider Jesus' earlier words and prompts us to do the same. In the light of the resurrection, how do those stories and events look now? How do we interpret them afresh?
We who have gathered together, met with Jesus in prayer and worship, who have been welcomed into his presence and at his table, shared bread and wine together, spent multiple hours hearing his words and teachings, and been sustained by his presence. How do we act as witnesses to others? Do we say nothing like the women at the tomb?
At the end of each service do we simply close our book and say 'the end' to our loyalty to Jesus as the church door closes behind us or does it continue throughout the week? Are we confident in speaking our faith or is there some reservation? We are unlikely to face death or persecution, but my sense is that many of us are still cautious and hold back.
Do we also say nothing for we are afraid? Is the story of the women also our story? How can we stay silent? Yet we do.
Perhaps our emotions range from anxiety of not being believed and uncertainty of how to present our evidence in a scathing and sceptical world. Mary Magdalene and the other women were amazed and frightened and confused. They could not have been able to answer detailed theological issues either! Yet they were trusted with pieces of the story, momentary glimpses of Jesus, which came together and created a picture. How do we recognise and share the love that God has for each of us and responding in joy not terror? Then, like the women, who did speak up, we may find that our accounts are added to by the testimony of others. We don't need to feel the pressure of delivering the whole package.
When I was about fourteen, I was challenged by someone in the school dinner queue to name one of the benefits of Christian faith. Faltering a bit, I eventually came up with 'eternal life'. My questioner was amazed and said, "Well, don't you think you should tell more people about this?!"
Practise saying something.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, says that Christians need to say something about Jesus in their first conversation with someone or they never will. I'm not sure that I've found an exact quote there, but the principle is an interesting one. We might start by saying something about being part of a church community.
Jesus has risen from the dead and that changes everything. By our baptism and profession of faith, God the Holy Spirit dwells within us, making us holy and setting us free. We each have a remarkable story to tell.
So what am I suggesting?
Firstly pray! Pray for joy, pray for an outpouring of God's love, receive God's blessing and hold onto it. Reject the fear of not having all the answers; pray for courage.
Practise telling your story.
Think about how you speak about other things that fire your passion: a grandchild or day out - it is said that if Christians invited their neighbours to church with the same enthusiasm that they describe a new coffee shop, the churches would be heaving! Perhaps it might sound something like - I don't know that I can explain this very well, but I know that God loves me. I know that my prayers have been answered. I know that there is something beyond what I can see and feel that is real.
Of course, we show God's love in our kindness and deeds, but words can be useful too.
Finally, pack your sandwiches, buckle up and put on your crash helmet for the rest of Mark's gospel this year! Take time to read it; if possible in long stretches so that you hear his witness statement of life alongside Jesus. Read it afresh in the light of the resurrection and your own journey of faith.
Then take courage and sparkle with the light of the risen Christ!