Easter Vigil C

[cappie]

On the first Easter, very early in the morning, the women come to the tomb with spices to anoint Jesus’ body. They find two angels the angels ask, “ Why look among the dead for someone who is alive?”

For the women, this must have been a surprising question. Think about it. They had gone to the tomb to attend to Jesus’ body. They had served their Lord during his earthly life. Now they would do one last act of service for Jesus. They had witnessed his death. They knew that there was no time for a proper burial. So, they came with spices to complete the burial rites. Their beloved Lord was dead. They could at least perform this one last act of love for him. But their hearts must have been heavy.

They thought their life with Jesus was over and his dead body was the final coda. But the angels tell them that this is not the end of the story. They say, “ Why look among the dead for someone who is alive? He is not here; he has risen. Remember what he told you when he was still in Galilee: that the Son of Man had to be handed over into the power of sinful men and be crucified, and rise again on the third day?”

They hear the good news that Christ is risen from the dead, and they need to change from people who perform burial rites for the dead to apostles who bear witness to the living Lord, to stop living in the past and start living in the future, to change from people bent over with fear, staring at the ground, to people who stand up, go forth, and proclaim that God’s life is stronger than any death, stronger than hate, more powerful than human violence, that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead and is alive.

 The good news of Easter is that Jesus Christ, who was crucified, has been raised from the dead. This belief, this truth, this resurrection changes everything. Cruelty is not the last word. Sin and evil are not the ultimate powers of the universe. Death does not get the final laugh. Forgiveness and love and life are the final realities of the world. The power of God is stronger than any tomb. Jesus Christ is risen today.

And the good news is not only that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead and lives, but also that the power of the resurrection can transform our lives as well. New life is possible, here, now, today. We can live new lives, here and now, by the power of the resurrection. The promise of Easter is that we can.

But it’s not easy, is it? We rather like living in the past. It is comfortable. It’s what we’re used to. But the promise of Easter is that we don’t have to look for the living among the same old compulsions, same old angers, same old anxieties, same old fears. Even so, it is such a powerful myth. You know the myth of the past where children were better behaved; our families were perfect; our churches were all devout and holy. The myth says, if we could just get back to that past somehow, someway, then everything would be better.

It’s a powerful myth. Lots of people are looking for the living among the dead. But the truth of the resurrection is that we are to live new lives, here and now, by the power of the future. That is, we are to find our true life meeting us from the future, not buried among the past or in any tomb. This truth terrified the women on that first Easter. Let go of the past and start living in the future.

The women eventually got over their terror and started living the resurrection in their lives. We can too. We can stop looking for the living among the dead. The good news of Easter is that it is not just about Jesus but also about us. Jesus is alive and has gone ahead to prepare a way for us, and because of this, we can also claim our new life here and now and move confidently into the future. Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is literally true that our best days are ahead of us because the future is where our risen Lord is and where he promises to meet us, even now. And this is good news.

Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. He is alive. He has gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us. He promises to meet us there. Why do we keep looking for the living among the dead?