John 20:1-9 *
In the name of Jesus Christ, who lived and died and lives again, dear friends:
He should have checked his alarm clock the night before. Now he has no choice but to speed past the other cars on the road like they are standing still. If everything works out perfectly, the rush hour traffic, the stoplights, the elevator, he should be able to make it to his interview with a few seconds to spare.
But then it happens, first with a stutter, then with a sputter. The engine stops. “This can’t be happening,” he thinks to himself. “I just took the car in for a tune-up last week.” He glances at the gauges on the dashboard in a frantic attempt to locate the problem. After a few seconds he notices that the gas needle is missing, buried far below the “E.” His pulse quickens, his heart races, as he realizes that the tank is empty.
Everything has been planned out perfectly. The dinner guests will begin arriving in just a few minutes. An entire afternoon in the kitchen has filled the house with delicious aromas. All she has left to do is add the final ingredients to the main course.
She reaches up to grab a stone jar on the top shelf. “I don’t remember this feeling so light,” she thinks to herself. A look of panic comes across her face as she pries off the lid. Her pulse quickens, her heart races, as she discovers that the jar is empty.
Mary Magdalene had a special relationship with Jesus. He had delivered her from seven demons (Luke 8:2). She loved him. She believed in him. But now he was gone. “My Lord is dead,” she thought as she walked to the grave to anoint his body. “Because he remembered me, I want to do something to remember him.”
As Mary approached the tomb at dawn on Easter morning, she
saw something she did not expect to see.
The stone, massive stone that sealed the entrance had been moved. Her pulse quickened, her heart raced, as she came
to the realization that the tomb was empty.
She ran to the other disciples and exclaimed: “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they
have put him” (John 20:2)!
Maybe you have had that sinking feeling. Maybe you can relate to the driver who ran out of gas. Maybe you know what it feels like to find out that what you need is missing at the most inopportune time. But I don’t think it is quite so easy for us to put ourselves in Mary’s shoes this morning.
We have come here on this Easter dawn expecting that Jesus’ tomb would be empty. We have gathered here this morning knowing why Jesus’ tomb would be empty. Our pulses may quicken, our hearts might race, but not because of shock or surprise. Today we are happy to see that the stone has been rolled away. Today we rejoice because the tomb is empty, and because…
THE TOMB IS EMPTY, OUR HEARTS ARE FULL
Our hearts are full today because Jesus has fulfilled all of
God’s promises. The Lord led men of God like
Moses and Micah and Isaiah to prophesy about the promised Messiah, to proclaim
who he would be and what he would do.
And then he came. From his lowly birth
in
Our hearts are full today because Jesus lived a perfect life in our place. For thirty three-years, Jesus endured the attacks of Satan and the assaults of the world. And he did not sin, not even once, not a single white lie, not a single dark thought. Jesus resisted every temptation. Jesus passed every test. And because he did, our hearts are full.
Our hearts are full today because Jesus also died in our place. He didn’t deserve to die. He didn’t have to die. But he did. He died a painful, shameful death on the cross for us. Jesus willingly gave up his life because he knew that it was the only way to save our souls from eternal death. And because he did, our hearts are full.
Our hearts are full today because Jesus has risen from the dead. This is what Easter is all about. This is the reason we are here so early in the morning. The devil has been defeated. Death has lost its sting. Sin is forgiven. Jesus is alive! And because he is, our hearts are full.
Our hearts are full today because our living Lord is very much involved in our lives. He will not leave us or forsake us. He will be with us until the end of time. He makes all things in this world work out for our good. He protects us from harm and danger. He feeds us with Word and Sacrament. And because he continues to do all of these things, our hearts are full.
Our hearts are full today because Jesus’ resurrection guarantees that death is not our final destination. On the Last Day Jesus will come back in glory. On the Last Day Jesus will come to judge the world. He will raise up all the saints who have gone before us. He will take us to be with him and them in heaven. And because he will, our hearts are full.
This is the Easter gospel. This is the message that is imprinted on our hearts. This is the message that we cherish in our hearts. This message is so special, so wonderful that it spills over out of our hearts and onto our lips:
Hallelujah! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah! Amen.