Note:  In the excitement of Easter Day, I neglected to credit the Rev. Dr. Samuel Wells of Duke University for the observation that the angel in the gospel story speaks about the past, present and future.  Those of you who have seen me preach may realize that I don't read my sermons verbatim.  Nevertheless, this was a central point of this sermon, and I deeply regret this oversight.  - MAA.

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Very early one Sunday morning, three Jewish women woke up in their homes and got out of bed.  They probably did the normal things we all do when we wake up – they washed their faces, they put on their clothes, maybe they had a little breakfast.  Then the three of them met and began walking out of town.  The women had one more job to do for their friend – one more task of faithful service for their teacher and master.  Women have always had to do the hardest labor.  “A man's work is sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done.”  That's just the way life is.  That's the way of the world.  

As they walked, they talked about what had happened just before sabbath – how he was arrested; about the show trial the authorities held to convict him on trumped up charges; about his crucifixion.  They talked about how nothing ever changes for the poor and powerless people of the world.  It was always the same.  The rich get richer and the poor get .... crucified.  The powers that be will always have the upper hand.  The strongest and most powerful will always win.  That's just the way life is.  That's the way of the world.  

Such a waste – he was such a good man.  He was so idealistic, so young and enthusiastic, so filled with love for everyone.  He was bound to fail, of course.  It was only a matter of time.  The way he was going – the way he had so many people following him – it was only a matter of time before the authorities smacked him down.  That's just the way life is.  That's the way of the world.

Who will roll away the stone,” they wondered.  “How will we get in to anoint his dead body?”  They didn't have time to prepare his body for a proper burial.  It was the afternoon before the sabbath when he died, and they had to rush home before sun down in order to prepare for Shabbat.  They had to rush home and prepare for their families.  They had too much work to do for the living to worry about the dead.  No matter.  He wasn't going anywhere.  He could wait until later.  That's just the way it is.  That's the way of the world.  

That's strange.  The stone has already been rolled back.  What in the world?   His body is gone!  What did they do with his body?  What have they done with him? And who is this man?  What?  What's he saying?          OH MY GOD!”

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.

Each of the four Gospels tells the Easter story in a different way.  In Matthew, we hear that Jesus himself meets the women in the tomb.  In Luke, there are 2 angels in the tomb, and Jesus meets a couple of disciples on the road to Emmaus.  In John we have the stories about Jesus being mistaken for the gardener.  But the Gospel of Mark ends here, with the three women fleeing in terror and amazement from the tomb.  No appearance of our Lord.  No trumpets proclaiming the resurrection.  No “Hallelujah Chorus.”  Just three women fleeing from the scene in terror, and the curtain closes.  What kind of ending is that?  It makes me want to ask, “Just what kind of resurrection are you running around here, Lord?”

It would certainly be a much happier ending for all of us if Jesus just showed his bright smile and said, “see, I told you it would all be swell.”  After all, that's how the other Gospels read.  But in many ways, I think Mark's Gospel is a little more realistic.  When the women woke up, they were living in the old, predictable world.  They woke up in a world where men did men's work and women did women's work.  The woke up in a world where power and money were what mattered.  They woke up in a world where life was hard for the poor, and harder still for poor women.  They woke up in a world where no matter how good a person was, you could be gone in a instant if you crossed the wrong person.  Most of all, they woke up in a world were the dead stayed dead.

Then, something incomprehensible happened.  Suddenly, the world changed.  It changed so utterly and completely that the women didn't know what to do, or what to say.  And so they didn't do or say anything.  They just ran.

“You seek Jesus, who was crucified,” the angel said.  Yes, they did.  That's why they got up and went to the tomb.  They fully expected that he'd be there.  And that's why we got up, and came here.  We seek Jesus, who was crucified.  What an odd thing for us to do!  What an odd thing for anyone to do – to come to a big cold, empty building, a building that maybe even looks a little like a tomb – looking for Jesus.  Of course, we know that he was a good man.  We know that he was a great teacher.  And we know that he died a terrible, painful death – 2000 years ago.  And yet we still seek him.  Why?

Maybe it has to do with the angel.  What did he say?  Samuel Wells of Duke University points out that the angel said three things.  The first is a statement about the past – He has been raised.  An amazing thing has happened.  God has raised Jesus from the dead and the world will never be the same again!  Alleluia!  All the rules of the universe have been broken.  Death is no longer the end of life, resurrection is!  

The second is a statement about the present – He is going ahead of us to Galilee.  Jesus is not locked safely inside some tomb, he is running around free in the world.  This is not a good thing if you're an enemy of Christ.  It would be much safer if he were still in the tomb.  But for those of us who call him Lord, Jesus continues to lead us and to call us to do his work in the world.  Whatever challenges and troubles we might face, Jesus has already faced them.  Our faith is alive in the present.

The third thing the angel tells us is about the future – We will see him again.  Christ's resurrection means that our lives continue in service and discipleship to our Lord.  Our lives don't end at the tomb anymore than Jesus' did.  They continue in service to one another and to God.  And we can be confident that through the promise of the resurrection, we will all meet Jesus face to face when he comes again.

And maybe that's the point of this non-ending ending; that the world didn't end when Jesus was raised, but it changed utterly and drastically that day – God changed the rules of the game.  And as his disciples, it is now our turn to continue his ministry.

He has been raised.  He is going ahead of you.  You will see him again.  Alleluia.

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