Series: Names of Wondrous Love
The Resurrection of our Lord Easter Day
March 31, 2013
Dear friends in Christ.
While I was serving as a Pastor in South Dakota, I had
the opportunity to ride on the George S. Mickelson trail. Now, if you are not familiar with it, The
George S. Mickelson Trail is a converted rail road route situated in the heart
of the beautiful black hills. It runs
for 109 miles from Deadwood down to Edgemont and it contains more than 100
converted railroad bridges and 4 rock tunnels.
I can still remember what it was like to ride that day. I can still remember the sound of the crushed
limestone crackling under my tires as I rode.
I remember the smooth 4% grade that I climbed for a number of miles and
then coasted for a number of other miles.
But the thing I remember the most was riding through the tunnel. I remember the excitement as I approached the
tunnel, a yawning black mouth in an otherwise impassible rock face. I remember the way the darkness began to
envelope me, as I moved deeper into the throat of the mountain. The light from the outside quickly
disappeared and my pace slowed as I removed my sunglasses so that I could
better see in the new found darkness.
Though the darkness around me was never complete, it was very difficult
to navigate until I reached the slight bend in the tunnel and could once again
see the bright daylight pouring in, allowing me to navigate more confidently
through the remainder of the tunnel.
Though the tunnel was only a few hundred feet long it wasn’t long until
the darkness of the tunnel made it difficult to navigate. However, when I made the bend and saw the
light streaming in at the end of the tunnel I knew the darkness would soon come
to an end and I would once again enjoy my journey riding in the full light of
day.
Well, in many ways, the season of Lent is something
like that tunnel experience. The hours
we’ve spent with Jesus in these past weeks have been rather somber, solemn, and
serious. Even as we’ve focused our
attention on our Savior’s wondrous names of love, our attention has been on our
sins and we’ve been reminded of God’s forceful anger over them. We’ve traveled the path that Jesus took; the
path that lead him to his death to pay for our sins; the path that made us
deeply aware that of everything we deserved from a holy and righteous God,
which is everything that Christ, our Savior, suffered in our place.
However, as we worship this morning, everything is
different. Our time spent traveling through the dark tunnel of Lent comes to an
end as we emerge into the full and glorious light of another Easter. We emerge into the joy and the comfort of our
Savior’s resurrection from the dead, and we bask in the full light of our
Savior’s love and forgiveness; our Savior who himself has assured us, “I am the
light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will
have the light of life.”" (John 8:12, NIV84)
Though today is truly a day of joy as we bask in the
Light of Jesus, our Savior, for most of Jesus followers, that First Easter did
not start off with joy and celebration.
Rather, it started out in darkness and confusion. In fact, John tells us, “Early on the first
day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and
saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to
Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have
taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put
him!”" (John 20:1–2, NIV84)
In so many ways these words not only describe the
condition of the early morning when Mary set out for the tomb, but in reality
they describe the condition of her sorrow-filled heart as well. Her heart must have been overflowing with
grief, sorrow, and perhaps even despair because the light of Jesus’ life had
been snuffed out in death. Her Lord and
Savior who had cast seven demons out of her (Luke 8:2) was lying in the tomb
where he had been hastily buried before the Sabbath began. The one whom she had followed, serving him
with the full devotion of a heart filled with faith, trusting that he was truly
the promised Savior from sin; he was dead and she would not have the
opportunity to see him again. For May,
not only had the sky over Calvary been pitch black as she stood beneath his
cross, so was her heart. Not only was
the tomb, in which they had hurriedly placed his lifeless body devoid of light,
so was her spirit. How her heart must have
broken when the laid him in the tomb.
How her faith must have been shaken as she returned home for the Sabbath
on that Friday afternoon. But how her heart must have simply burst when she saw
the open tomb and come running to Peter and John crying out, “They have taken
the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” (John
20:2, NIV84)
It was as if Mary was in a tunnel without any light,
without even an exit, as she stood beside the open tomb, weeping. Not only did she think that her Savior was
dead, but it also seemed that someone had gone to great lengths to steal his
body, thus dishonoring him all the more by taking away his right as an
Israelite to receive a proper and honorable burial. Yet in the same way that light does eventually
begin to shine into a tunnel as one comes to the end of it, so also the Light
of Jesus resurrection began to shine in Mary’s heart. For not long after Peter and John had
returned from the tomb, we find Mary back where everything had started that morning,
as John tells us, “but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she
bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where
Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked
her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said,
“and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and
saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15
“Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking
he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me
where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She
turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the
Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father
and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went to the
disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had
said these things to her." (John 20:11–18, NIV84)
While it was still dark, Mary had seen the stone
rolled away and run back to report her fears.
Later, in the daylight, she had returned to the tomb to weep and tell
the angels the same story she told the disciples. Then it happened! As she wept, she turned and noticed a man
standing behind her. Through tear-dimmed
eyes she didn’t recognize him. But when he said, “Mary,” her heart turned
over. “Master,” she cried out in
amazement. This was her lord. She was not in error. She had seen them lay his body in the grave,
and she recognized him now. With amazing
suddenness her tears were dried for her and the weight was lifted from her
heart. All past sorrows were gone. Darkness had vanished. Now she knew that her Savior was living! She had finally left the tunnel of sorrow and
now stood in the bright light of Jesus Easter victory!
What a day that had to be for Mary and the others,
and what a day it is for you and me! For
as we have gathered in worship this morning, we, too, have left the dark tunnel
of Lent and are basking in the light of Jesus, our Savior. We are basking in the joy of Jesus
resurrection. For we know that because
Jesus was delivered over to death and raised to life once again, we have been
justified before our God! We have been
acquitted of all our sins! We have been
declared not guilty and are once again at peace with the Lord our God! No longer can the guilt of our sins prevail
against us, because Jesus’ resurrection assures us that his death has
completely washed away even the guilt of our sins. No longer can satan bedevil us, because
Christ’s victory on Calvary has crushed the serpent’s head. Not even death can hold us any longer because
we know that just as Christ, our Savior, passed through death only to take back
his own life and rise again, so also, Christ our Savior will lead us through
death to our life forever by his side in our heavenly kingdom.
This is Jesus, who is the light of our
Salvation. This is Jesus, who is the
Light of the World. He is the one who
gave his life and took it back again so that we might live in his light forever. Though there may be times in this world when
we pass through dark tunnels of sorrow and uncertainty, our Savior is always
there, lighting our path with his presence.
Our Savior is there assuring us that by his resurrection we are at peace
with God. Our Savior is there, assuring
us that no matter what we face in this life, he is with us and leading us on to
his heavenly kingdom. Even when we enter
the dark tunnel of death, we will have nothing to fear. We will have nothing to fear because we know
that Jesus himself will lead us through that tunnel to the wondrous light of
eternal life by his side, forever in heaven.
What a day that will be when we can join with Mary and all the others
singing the praises of our Savior’s wondrous love for us.
Amen.
Pastor
David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical
Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN
