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| Easter Vigil, 2002 The Rev’d Robert M. Odom March 31, 2002 Easter fear. Much is made of Easter Joy on this holiest of feasts, but fear is not something that we often associate with Easter. Yet fear, yes fear, is a very prominent theme in Matthew’s account of the Resurrection. The two Marys are told twice not to be afraid, and they flee quickly from the tomb with fear. The soldiers guarding the tomb quake and are paralyzed with fear. Fear at Easter, fear when confronted with the Resurrection, might not be a concept that is useful for marketing Easter candy and decorations and whatnot, but Easter Fear is in the Bible, as you’ve just heard. The Gospel you’ve just heard though, illustrates beautifully who should and who should not be afraid when confronted with the truth of Easter. You see, the earthquakes in Matthew’s Gospel herald the turning of the tide of the history of the cosmos. The first earthquake, when Jesus died, signals the wholeness, the completeness of Christ’s sacrifice to the Father on the Cross. The second earthquake, at the tomb, signals the fulfillment of God’s love for Jesus, indeed for all who follow him, that is Resurrection. To be present at the very time and place of the pivotal moment of the universe would understandably be a frightening situation. Thus the angel’s and Jesus’ admonition to the women, “Do not be afraid,” is warranted. It is also significant. The soldiers dispatched to guard the tomb also bore witness to that pivotal moment, and they too were afraid – apparently much more so than the women – and they were told nothing to assuage their fear. They and their ilk should be afraid of Resurrection. At this pivotal moment, when the tide of history turns, as the Son rises on them that sat in darkness, the sun begins to set on those who dominate through brutality, who control with threats of death. For the Resurrection robs them of their coercive power. The empty tomb means that the humiliation, the torture, and the murder inflicted on Jesus, the whole arsenal of subjugation, is simply ineffective against the child of God. So for the powers of this world, fear is a perfectly appropriate response to the empty tomb, but the children of God need never be afraid. Followers of Christ are not only unafraid of the emptiness of Jesus’ tomb, they also rejoice in the presence, the fullness revealed outside the tomb: the risen Lord in the world. You see, the Resurrection not only means that Jesus can’t be found among the dead, it means further that he is as present to humankind as you are to the person sitting next to you. And he is alive, more alive than you or I can understand, more alive than any human has ever been. However, Jesus is not more alive than any human ever will be, because His eternal life is the fulfillment of the life that we’ve seen initiated in the Baptism of Emery. In short, Resurrection is the fruition of all Christian living. Hallelujah! So I say to you tonight: be not afraid! Indeed be bold! Be bold in living out the faith into which you have been baptized. In what you do and in your very being, make Christ present in the world, as present as you are to the person sitting next to you right now. The world might say, “be afraid.” Be afraid of looking like an idiot. Be afraid of the risks involved. Be afraid of rejection. Be afraid of pain. Perhaps even be afraid of death. The world might say, “be afraid,” but God says, “be not afraid,” because God redeems it all: the humiliation, the rejection, the losses, the risks, the pain, and yes even the ultimate sacrifice. God redeems it all, and he raises you up. So be bold! Be not afraid and moreover rejoice! Rejoice because in living Christ’s life, you live an everlasting life, and you become more alive than perhaps you can appreciate. Rejoice because following Jesus will bring you exactly where we are tonight. Rejoice because Resurrection awaits you. Be not afraid and rejoice. The tide of history has turned, and the surf’s up, and the water’s great! So jump on in. Amen. The Rev’d Robert M. Odom M.Div., Curate |
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