Come On Up For The Rising! Pastor Jeff Jaynes

Come On Up for the Rising! Pastor Jeff Jaynes April 12, 2009—Easter! Southern Hills UMC, Tulsa, OK Difficult Alternative --I didn’t really want to preach this passage today --I wanted to take the easy road out…the alternate passage for Easter (John 20:1-18) --Mary in the garden with Jesus, big hugs, disciples telling the good news --while Mark leaves us with the women stunned and afraid Rough Ending --hard to say why Mark ends this way --and most scholars do believe this was likely the true end of the gospel --think that others also didn’t like the way Mark stopped and filled in the gaps for him --some added a short ending, others a longer ending (probably all aren’t original) --others think the original manuscript must have been ripped, or missing another page --consensus among scholars seems to be that this ending is the real one --and not many know why it ended this way Pearly Gates --and, truth be told, most of us who preach on this passage would prefer an alternative --we’d much rather talk to you about glorious good news, joyous celebrations --just like the fact that we all like to talk about heaven: pearly gates, streets of gold --but try to find someone who enjoys talking about the way we get there: death --not a subject that really gets the crowds going, is it? Funereal --and yet, it is death that I can’t help but think about as I read this passage --it reminds me of funerals, and families and friends in the midst of grief --as a pastor, I have the occasion to be with people in that most difficult time --as much as I’d almost always wish to prevent that pain, I rather enjoy doing funerals --and, on that, I think I’m in the majority of pastors --not that we are a macabre bunch, enjoy dealing with death --it’s because a funeral gives us a chance to talk about the resurrection Little Easters --in a way, every Christian funeral should be like a little Easter --families gather to remember the dead, those they loved, given huge parts of their lives --and, at least in my case, a young man in white gets to tell them: “He is not here.” --it is a chance to retell the story and the glory of resurrection, and Christ’s work in us --move from grief into celebration, sorrow into joy Not that Easy --but, truth be told, that move is not that easy, is it? --truth is that grieving is hard—it’s hard to just move on, or have peace --you don’t want to move on even if that’s all others are trying to tell you to do --truth is, you don’t know what you want to do…stunned, and scared

“Stunned” --Eugene Peterson, great translator, uses “stunned” to describe women at tomb --New Jerusalem Bible says they were “frightened out of their wits” --I’ll bet if I polled those who have recently lost loved ones—or not so recently— --they’d say a big “Amen” to that emotion --I mean, can you imagine? --these women had been with Jesus for a long time --whether you believe Dan Brown’s fiction or not, Mary Magdalene close to Jesus --Mary the mother of James may very well also have been the mother of Jesus --and Salome—possibly Mary’s sister—Jesus’ aunt --women for whom Jesus meant everything --women, Mark tells us chap. 15, who saw him die on the cross and buried in the tomb --of course they were stunned Keep it together --I’m sure part of the reason they even went to the tomb that day was for something to do --get away from the other disciples, huddled in fear and sorrow --at least preparing the body was something to do --and it seemingly needed to be done too—Joseph of Arimathea seemingly buried quickly --so they went…and when they got there, they knew something was amiss --stone was already moved…already things not going according to plan --somehow, this very large stone had already been rolled away --and then they look into the tomb and see what they think is a young man in white robe --and, not expecting to see anyone or anything except a body, they were alarmed --on top of everything else, there was no body—and this kid was in its place --maybe even more alarmed when he spoke to them, saying, “Don’t be alarmed” --like saying “Don’t panic” in the midst of a situation that obviously brings panic --they may or may not have even heard his message of good news --“He has been raised; he is not here” --“Look, there is the place they laid him”—not there anymore --“Go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you” --“There you will see him, just as he told you.” --you’ll see him again, by and by --he is not here --it seems to have gone in one ear and out another --for they were still stunned by the whole experience 9/11 widows --reminds me of how the 9/11 widows and widowers must have felt --watching the planes crash into the buildings, over and over on the news --knowing their loved ones were gone, or likely gone --lives changed in an instant, forced by all around to constantly relive the pain --stunned into silence, fear of what might happen next --no body to bury, seemingly no warning this grief was coming --walking through the world like living dead, their world forever changed in an instant

“The Rising” --a year after 9/11, Bruce Springsteen, sang into this stunned silence --the rock star from nearby New Jersey, released album aimed at touching broken hearts --wrote songs about the lonesome days the survivors faced --about waiting for the sunny days of hope to return --and, toward the end of the album, a song of resurrection—he called it “The Rising” --relived that painful day, of the darkness and tears, sadness and fears --and yet it called the listener to a deeper truth, a dream of life, that was still possible --new day of hope, even after the stunning reality of pain --one writer called it “an Easter like anthem arising out of the darkness and despair of September 11th, a national Good Friday if there ever was one.”1 --even mentions Mary in that garden of a thousand sighs as she walked to the tomb Ahead of the game --what Bruce sang into is the reality that Christian preachers proclaim every Sunday --and at every funeral, if they do it right --that in the midst of our sadness and despair --in the midst of our pain and grief --in our deepest valley and darkest days --God comes to us and reminds us “He is not here.” He has raised just as he said --the problem may just be what the young man told the women --“he is going ahead of you” --just takes us a while to catch up to the reality of the resurrection --move from despair at death to disbelief at empty tomb to declaration of the good news --took some time for them to get to Galilee --to pick up their heads and see the Rising before their eyes Our World Feels Like Friday --to many in our world, life seems a lot more like Friday than Sunday morning --feels full of despair, like our world is crashing down around us --some have experienced the death of a loved one --some have experienced the death of dreams—of future together, retirement --some are still stunned in disbelief that this is really happening to them --world feels as disjointed as this ending from Mark --their world entombed with sadness, don’t even know the stone’s been rolled away He Lives --friends, the truth is that it is Sunday, that the stone has been rolled away, morning come --Christ has risen indeed, just as he said, and he can move us through our fear and pain --Christ still lives, goes on ahead of us, leads us into the good news of tomorrow --because he lives we can get up and face the uncertain days of our future --because he lives we have no need to be afraid, “out of our wits” --because he lives, we too might live—and tell the good news to all who can hear --Come on up, for the Rising—for Christ has risen. He has risen indeed. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 1

Symynkywicz, Jeffery The Gospel According to Bruce Springsteen . (Westminster John Knox Press , 2008), 150