Loving God, in the midst of our grief and our fear, you call us by name, making us your children through our baptism into Christ.  Grant us the eyes to see Jesus and the ears to hear his voice, for we come to you in his holy name.  Amen.

           When Mary Magdalene headed out to the tomb that Easter morning, it was still dark – both literally and figuratively.  Mary’s world had fallen apart only two days earlier, as she had watched her Lord and Teacher inexplicably get condemned and crucified.  She had been sure that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, but now he was dead.  Her heart was full of sorrow, and despair, and perhaps even fear, as she walked to the tomb that morning.

         When she discovers that the stone covering the entrance of the tomb has been rolled away, she asks several people for help.  First, she runs to Peter and the “other disciple” and tells them that somebody has taken Jesus’ body and she doesn’t know where it is.  While the two disciples do run to the tomb to investigate, Mary is none the wiser when they leave.  She is still there, outside the tomb, weeping.

         At one point, however, she notices that there are two angels sitting inside the tomb where the body of Jesus used to be.  When they ask why she is weeping, she tells them the same thing that she told the disciples:  Somebody has taken Jesus’ body and she doesn’t know where they have put him.  The angels, however, don’t even get a chance to give her any message, for, pretty soon she turns around and sees a man standing there in the garden.

         This man also asks her why she is weeping, and she presents the same problem to him as she did to the others: Somebody has taken Jesus, and she wants to know where he is!  As it turns out, she has finally asked the right person.  As soon as Jesus calls her by name, she recognizes him.  “Rabbouni!”  My teacher! (Jn. 20:16).  Her surprise and excitement are almost palpable, but she cannot hold onto Jesus right now.  Instead, Jesus sends her to tell the other disciples that he will be ascending to the God and Father whom they share.  With that, Mary goes to the other disciples with her astounding message: “I have seen the Lord” (Jn. 20:18).

         It really shouldn’t surprise us that Jesus is the only one who can help Mary in her sorrow and her anxiety.  The story is kind of like a nightmare where you are looking for something important and can’t find it.  However, most nightmares don’t have a happy ending.  The difference here is that Mary actually does find Jesus and gets to see him – alive – with her own eyes.

         There is a song that I learned in 1984 that begins: “Have you seen Jesus, my Lord?  He’s here in plain view.  Take a look, open your eyes; He’ll show it to you.”  The song then continues with things like a beautiful sunset, or the thundering ocean waves, or the look of love in Jesus’ eyes as he hangs on the cross, or the face of Christ in your neighbour.  In all of these things, says the song, you have seen Jesus.

         It is likely that there are many people these days who are looking for Jesus, just like Mary was, in the midst of their sorrow and fear, anxiety and despair.  It seems that there are just so many things right now that might produce these kinds of emotions: things like rising prices and the continuing presence of Covid-19; things like the war in Ukraine and threats to people’s well-being and safety all over the world; things like the legacy of the residential schools and the acts of hate and racism that seem to be all too common.  As many might ask, where is Jesus in the midst of all of these things?

         One of our Eucharistic Prayers announces that Jesus is “near to those who suffer; beside the sinner; [and] among the poor” (ELW IX).  Jesus is in and with those who are hungry or sick or unsheltered.  Jesus is near to all those who call upon him, and is in, with, and among those who are part of his body, the church.  Jesus is here, with us, today, just as he is with all those who have put their trust in him all over the world.  And, as another song says, “we are his hands” and “we are his feet” – that other people might encounter Jesus through us.

         Regardless of the things in this world that cause us grief and fear and despair, Jesus continues to be present in our world and in us.  May we, together with Mary Magdalene, be able to recognize Jesus wherever he is to be found, that we, too, might be able to say, “I have seen the Lord!”  For, Christ is risen!  He is risen, indeed!  Alleluia! Amen.

Resurrection of Our Lord (NL 4)    John 20:1-18

April 17, 2022

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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