Easter Vigil

Reformation, Media

Larry V. Smoose

“Two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them  . . . and said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead?’”. . .

The women just can’t get a break.  Just barely three days before they had to watch in agony as Jesus, their teacher and Lord went through one of the most horrific deaths imaginable—crucifixion.  With prayers on their lips that he might not suffer long, with tears in their eyes as they watch him gasp for air, they kept their faithful vigil and then, when he finally died, they lovingly received the body and helped carry it to the tomb.  Because of the hour of the day, they could not complete burial rites before the beginning of Shabbat, and so they had to leave the body in the tomb, resolving to come back after the Sabbath to complete the anointing and wrapping the body with spices. 

True to their resolve, at first light on Sunday, they walk slowly toward the tomb with their spices.  They are only following their traditions and rituals, and paying their respects.  And, I might add, you don’t see any of the men here – not only was it not considered a man’s job, but the men were in hiding, frightened that they might be discovered and arrested themselves.  The men, it seems, are far more concerned about themselves and their well being than paying respect to their Lord. 

So when the women arrive at the tomb, find the stone rolled away, and don’t see the body, it is understandable that they might be perplexed and confused.  Still in shock over the week that began with such hope and joy and ended in tragedy; still reeling over the trumped up charges and mockery of a trial; still numb from seeing Jesus hang on the cross; you can understand their confusion.  And when the angels – two men in dazzling apparel -- suddenly appear, the shock and fright would be the expected reaction.  What we don’t expect is the smart remark from the angels – “why do you look for the living among the dead?”  They’re being chided!  The women just can’t get a break!

And the next verse reveals why the angels were a bit short with them – “Don’t you remember what he told you in Galilee?  The son of man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified – AND ON THE THIRD DAY RISE AGAIN!”  Don’t you remember?  What are you doing here in a tomb, looking for Jesus?  Oh Yeah – then they remembered.  Well, yeah but . . . well, . . . we didn’t know he meant that literally. . . we . . . well . . . we weren’t sure what that meant actually . . .   I mean . . . we didn’t really understand  . . .

But I can understand the women’s confusion.  Even when they remembered his words, their minds had to be racing with what all of this meant and what was really happening.  I can understand it, because things aren’t much different today.  The truth is that a lot of people are still looking for the body.  Whether it’s the shroud of Turin, or new reports of a first century grave uncovered in Jerusalem with bones in it, or our own doubts  and skepticism.  Do we still seek the living among the dead?

Oh, like the women, we go through the proper rites and rituals, paying our proper respects.  The faithful few, like the women of old, will be at the cross on Good Friday and keep this Easter Vigil, and then multitudes will flood the church on Easter, paying our proper respects, but are we here to pay respects to a dead Jesus or a living Lord?  One of the charges I’ve heard is that many people in our pews are "functional atheists." They may confess their belief in the living Jesus, but they often function as if there were no God.   Church is about learning proper values and how to be a good person.  It is an important catalyst for good deeds and helping people.  But we don’t expect a personal encounter with a living Jesus.

Would you like such an encounter?   If we assume that Jesus is alive and active in our world, such an encounter is possible.  So where do we look for this living Lord?  The angels who chided the women for looking in the wrong place also give them a clue on where to look – “Remember his words,” they said to the women.  And even as they said it, the women remembered.   This word, remember, is where we begin. 

Initially, for the women, as they remembered, it was in much they same way that we remember – merely allowing words or events of the past to become part of our present thoughts.  They not only remembered his words, but they remembered Jesus – much as we remember loved ones in the past.  But there is another level of remembering that we do not always consider.  To get at that meaning, we look at another of Luke’s scenes, the thieves being crucified with Jesus.  The one thief says, “Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.”   I don’t think the thief just wanted Jesus to think about him in the kingdom.  And Jesus’ response is “Today you will be with me in paradise.”   In this case, remembering the criminal would make him present with Jesus in the kingdom!

So remembering can  be more than just thinking about, it can be re-presenting an historical event so that we, in the present, are also participants in that event.  It’s like Jeanne Lee’s devotion in our Lenten book.  She talks about the Emmaus Road spiritual retreat at which her eyes were opened to the true meaning of communion.  Suddenly, instead of it just being part of a church ritual, it became a personal, intimate act of submission, reverence and thankfulness.  An encounter with a living Lord who is present to embrace us, forgive us and send us forth as disciples.  It helps us understand Jesus’ words at the last supper – Do this in remembrance of me – not just to think about me, but so that you become a participant in this meal, present with me in the kingdom.

I think this same presence is what Gale Flandreau experienced as she shared stories in her devotional about friends who health challenges and death with dignity and courage.  She said, “What allows us to endure the pain and fear and despair of our challenges?  What causes us to escape from the power of sorrow or even death?  Her answer – The God who raised Christ.  These friends, perhaps unknowingly, had enabled Gale to experience the presence of the risen Christ in their lives.

Why do you seek the living among the dead?  Luke suggests that we find the risen Lord in his Word and in his meal.  We find the living Lord by remembering his words and “doing this in remembrance of him.”  Which is why, on this night we have extra scripture to help us remember the long story of God’s salvation history, and end with the meal.  The empty tomb may have been where Easter began, but that is not where it ended.  It ended with the presence of Jesus with his followers. 

Our Easter faith is not grounded in a rolled back stone and linen clothes, but in the presence of a risen Lord in human experience.  That means your most persuasive argument about the resurrection will not be reading a story about the empty tomb, but talking about your personal encounter with a risen Lord who gave you faith, showed you a glimpse of the kingdom and renewed your life in the midst of your life circumstances.  Then you will be able to say with conviction – Christ is risen!

Amen.