Easter Morning Yr C (Jn 20:1-18)  04-04-2010

Among the many learning opportunities that are required of someone going through seminary training, I found that the 10 weeks I spent serving as a Chaplain intern especially rewarding. I spent the summer with some wonderful people at a continuing care retirement center in VA. After some introductory training, I was told to spend some time visiting folks in the assisted living and nursing care areas of the center. The vast majority of my visits were made to folks who lived alone, but there was one couple who lived together in one double room. This couple had been married for more than 60 years and I was looking forward to meeting them. I was told that they both suffered from varying degrees of dementia, in addition to other physical challenges, but I would be welcomed to visit them and the nurses were sure I would have a nice visit. As I entered the room, the man warmly greeted me as the woman slept in her bed next to him. He invited me to sit down and we started a nice conversation about many different topics…and throughout our conversation I noticed the room was full of many beautiful and interesting pictures and works of art. I suppose when you condense 60 years of life together in one room, only the most memorable pieces are selected. I asked the gentleman about one particularly beautiful wood carving of a Native American Chief riding on a stallion. He looked at the carving, agreed it was beautiful and then nodded his head toward his sleeping wife. He said, “I guess the carving his hers, I don’t know where she got it from.” I said, “Oh, your wife bought the carving.” He replied, “My wife, oh no, that’s not my wife. I have never seen her before they put us together in this room. I don’t know where my wife is right now.” I was struck by his reply: not because he couldn’t recognize his wife of 60 years – that was caused by the dementia. I was struck by his comment because this man and woman, after more than 60 years together, now lay in this room together, and he had lost his wife.

In our Gospel lesson this morning, we are told of Mary Magdalene’s trip to the tomb of Jesus…a trip that she makes because she has lost her friend. Jesus was Mary’s teacher and good friend. Luke’s Gospel account tells of Mary’s healing by Jesus early in his ministry – and we can assume that Mary had remained with the group of disciples throughout Jesus’ ministry. And 2 days ago during our Good Friday service we heard that Mary remained with Jesus’ mother, Mary, and stood at the foot of the cross – one of the few of Jesus’ followers who courageously stayed with Jesus until the very end.

But death took Jesus away from Mary and the other disciples – the cross took Jesus to a place that none could follow – and he was laid in the tomb. We hear that Mary returned to the tomb “while it was still dark;” the “darkness” that surrounds Mary should make us aware of the grief and loss that envelopes her. Mary discovers the empty tomb and confusion is now added to her grief. So Mary, full of grief, reaches out to Peter and another disciple in an effort to make sense of this confusing morning. The men run in, look around a bit, don’t ask any questions (they are men, after all) and return home. I imagine Mary is wondering why she called them in the first place. As the men’s footsteps fade into the distance, Mary is again left alone in her state of grief and loss.

Soon after, Mary gathers her courage and enters into the tomb and is greeted by 2 angels, who ask her, “Why are you weeping?” Mary responds – she has lost her friend and teacher. She then turns and sees Jesus, but does not recognize him. Jesus also asks Mary why she is weeping. Mary again replies that she is looking for her Lord. Jesus now calls her by name, and Mary turns again; this turn is a turning toward her Savior after Christ has called her. A turn of conversion; a turn of understanding, even though Jesus was already there, but for Mary he seemed to be hiding in plain view. Mary’s faithfulness and devotion have led her to her teacher and Christ’s call to Mary has opened her eyes to his presence. Her relationship with Jesus has been renewed and reconciled by the resurrected Christ who has appeared to her.

We, too live in a world that is constantly being renewed and reconciled by the resurrected Christ. Christ is present to us, although he may sometimes appear to be hiding in plain view, as he was hidden to Mary, until she opened her ears and eyes and turned toward Christ. Everything around us, the simple and the spectacular; the mundane and the magnificent; the poor and the powerful, are all being renewed and transformed through the reconciling love of Christ – all things are being made new. British author C.S. Lewis, writing about the transformative power of the resurrection, wrote, “A new Nature is being not merely made but made out of an old one. We live amid all the anomalies, inconveniences, hopes, and excitements of a house that is being rebuilt.”[i] The house of God, which is the Church, is renewed, restored, and enriched by the resurrected Christ in the glory of this Easter morning.

After 60 years of marriage, the man and woman I was visiting were strangers because the illness they suffered had caused the death of their memories. I asked the man what he thought of his roommate, the sleeping woman he said he did not know. He replied, “She’s a wonderful roommate, always happy and always has something nice to say. I don’t know her, but I couldn’t ask for a better roommate.” The memories of their 60 years of marriage may have died and been taken away, but their friendship had been resurrected in spite of the illness. After 60 years, these two strangers had fallen in love all over again. On this glorious Easter morning, the LORD has risen indeed, and Christ our Savior is calling each one of us and is waiting for us to turn around and fall in love…all over again. AMEN.

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[i] C.S. Lewis, Miracles, Chapter 16, para. 21. p. 155.