Easter, Mark 16:1-8, Is. 25:6-9

I grew up in a coal mining area, so cave-ins were a real concern. A cave-in meant that you could be entombed deep in the earth, the darkness a looming presence as much as the air slowly giving way. In the old days, in the inky blackness of the mine, to see a speck of light gave hope. Easter is the light at the end of the tunnel. Easter makes God’s plans for the future clearer, but they have not come into play as of yet. I like to imagine that Easter light shone from the tomb, just as the first rays of the sun were striking it.

The women’s mood matched the dark. A good, young man had died terribly. While the male disciples slept or hid, they were doing what they were supposed to do, anoint the body. Practical considerations come to mind, were they strong enough to move the heavy stone that had sealed the tomb? The first surprise is that it’s moved. The second surprise is a seemingly angelic messenger. They cannot take in the first words, yet, to not be afraid. Of course they are afraid, less of the angel, but more of the stunning, new irruption into our lives, the power of God to make things new, for only God can make life emerge from death.

Easter is the dawn of our hopes, not its fulfillment. We still wait for that completion. The promise of heaven doesn’t negate the goodness, the sweetness, of life here and now. Easter doesn’t take away the grief of loss. Even though we may look toward heaven, ti does not take away the pain of absence in this world. An empty tomb does not fill the empty feeling of loss. Older churches like Kingston have cemeteries nearby, called churchyards. Those prevent ministers from going too far on Easter. Easter does tell us that loss is not the last word. One day, grief will be buried. Death itself will be entombed in eternal negation; death will go to hell. As the angel said, he is not here. He is risen. The tomb was no place for the risen Jesus., no place for the Living One.

Years ago, people argued an amazing amount about the hair length on boys and rock music. My mother would say, that music will wake the dead. People still put a lot of stock into appearance. Easter tells us to look toward something deeper, beyond appearance, but to the possibility prior to appearance, the dream, the hope. Easter points us toward two things: the commitment of God to life, and the shock of the new.. Granted the women did get a report from an angel, but like us, they did not receive an appearance of Jesus. . Easter does open doors. to an expanded sense of possibility. Easter frees us from the strictly factual. Isaiah’s great vision seems a bit closer. One day the shroud that covers the earth will be removed, for death will be banished. At Easter the burial shroud was tucked away in a corner, all neatly folded. That’s is a remarkable image, a shroud on the earth. Wars keep it on; we threaten the planet with pollution. One day it will be pulled aside with a magician’s flourish.

So, often we feel stuck. We seem caught in a trap. Those are the stones that threaten to keep us locked in, living half a life, or maybe better, a living death. Even a large gravestone is not enough for the presence and power of the love of God. No matter how heavy, it was no match for the power of new life. No matter how dark that tomb was, the light of life shone forth from it. No matter how cold it was, the resurrection warmed it. So on easter we can do no better than to glory in this precious gift of life. We let Easter light shine in it and through it to celebrate it, and to point the way to the far horizon.