An Everlasting Love

John 20: 1-18, NT page 114-115 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Pater and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in the Hebrew, “Rahbouni!” (which means teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her. Sermon This second scripture lesson ends with what is the first Easter sermon, the first mention of the Resurrected Jesus: “I have seen the Lord,” Mary Magdalene announced to the disciples. But while this lesson ends with a statement of faith it begins with running – Mary came to the tomb, saw that the body was gone and ran to tell the disciples. Peter and another disciple whom Jesus loved run to the tomb and Mary runs with them, and all this running is significant because adults don’t often run unless they have to. Children on the other hand are running constantly. Sometimes they run away from things they’re afraid of, but more often children run towards the things that they want – a puppy, a playground, or a grandmother just pulled up in the driveway. They can’t wait to see what wonderful gift this world will reveal to them next, while adults, generally if you see an adult running you can expect that there’s something he’s running after – a child heading towards that puppy and getting too close to the street, the physique that she’ll loose unless she burns some calories, the high blood pressure which could lead to him losing his life if he doesn’t exercise and get it under control – yes I’ve seen many un-athletic people morph into runners when they have something to lose, I suppose that I am one of them. We all run – if not literally, we do run to our jobs so that we don’t lose them, then run to the bank to deposit the check so we don’t lose the roof over our heads – then we run towards our family to keep them happy and together, not walking, because we know that what we have can be taken away. And really that explains all the running in the gospel lesson for this morning. Mary, Peter, and an un-named disciple all run towards the tomb, not like children running down the steps to see what Santa Claus left them under the tree, but running because they fear that not only has their beloved teacher’s life been taken from them, now the powers that be have even snatched his body from the grave. They do not run for the joy of running, they do not run as a child runs to wrap her arms around her father’s neck, they run because they have learned that life will take and take and take and you must fight to keep what you have. Don’t expect any blessings. Don’t wake up expecting this day to be full of gifts and surprises – no – expect today to take a little more than the day before because it’s not what you stand to gain that gets adults out of bed and running in the morning, it’s what you stand to lose. That’s why Mary can’t even see him though he is standing right in front of her. So convinced is she that the world really will suck you dry if you let it. So convinced is she that any blessing must be guarded and protected lest the Romans, lest the IRS, lest the powers of sin and death take it all away. She knew Jesus to be strong, she knew his love to be profound, but she’d never dare image a Jesus strong enough to overcome these realities and that’s why they run. They don’t run because they think he’s risen from the dead – they run because the world has already taken enough and now has come for even his corpse. All the hope she can come up with amounts to such a small thing in comparison to what is right in front of her eyes when she says, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” But in that moment, when even more seemed to be lost, Jesus said to her, “Mary!” The prophet Jeremiah spoke the word of the Lord saying, “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness,” but did they expect to find grace? “When Israel sought for rest, the Lord appeared to him from far away,” but had they already given up? The Lord told them, “I have loved you with an everlasting love,” but do you still believe in love? The world takes and takes and takes, but do not let the world convince you that there is nothing left that’s worth running towards, do not let the world convince you that there are no more blessings to be had, that the power of love does not still govern your existence. All she wanted was to find his body so that she might honor him one last time by preparing his remains for burial – such a small hope it seems in comparison to the joy that the Lord provided her that first Easter morning. “Mary,” he said, and in saying he opened her eyes to an everlasting love that the world taught her to give up on – and this truth must open your eyes as well. There is a balm in Gilead. There is such a thing as hope. Love is the power that rules our world. For he has risen – he has risen indeed. Amen.