Already on the Road

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary knew what to expect as they walked toward the tomb. They had their spices to anoint the body of their beloved Rabbi. They had sat opposite the tomb as Joseph of Arimathea had wrapped him in a new linen cloth and then laid him in the new tomb he had had carved for his family. It was early, they were on guard. Cemeteries are dangerous places – especially at night, and day was just breaking. They knew that the Temple authorities had gotten Pilate to let them post guards. They weren’t sure whether that made the place safer or more dangerous. Surely they wouldn’t bother them, two women, who only wanted to embalm the body. They would surely stand back as they opened the tomb – oh, surely they would be able to roll back the stone – the tomb was so new that the track in the dirt for the stone wasn’t well-worn. They had brought their perfume to put on their handkerchiefs and tie around their heads so that the smell wouldn’t overcome them. They knew what to expect.

On the way, they felt the earth shake and saw lightening. Surely there wasn’t a storm brewing. They just needed to give him a proper burial. He had died so close to the Sabbath that they had had to delay. But when they got there, it wasn’t as they expected at all. The stone was rolled away and the tomb was open. An angel in white – the purest white you can imagine was standing there in the tomb. The guards were laying passed out like dead men.

The angel says to them, “Do not be afraid. He has risen, just as he said he would.” They look inside the tomb and it is empty. And they choose to obey. They quickly leave for Galilee and the disciples. Joy and fear swirl in their thoughts. Could it be? What if it is? What if it isn’t? Rev. Dr. Tom Long says of the women leaving the tomb on the way to Galilee with a mixture of fear and great joy, “as such, they are the church in miniature – overcome with joy over the good news they have heard but also apprehensive as they move with this news toward a skeptical and dangerous world.”

But they go quickly. And I Matthew tells us that t is when they are already on the road that Jesus meets them. I think Matthew is trying to tell us something in the placement of Jesus meeting them. He doesn’t place the encounter in the Garden, which is the account that is most familiar. He doesn’t even report that Jesus met them in Galilee like the angel promised.

It is when they get going. Fear and joy all mixed together, that Jesus meets them.

Every year we celebrate Easter. We proclaim that the tomb is empty. But what matters is not that the tomb is empty.

Rev. Michael Marsh writes that, “Too often we think resurrection is about what happens to us after we die. We limit resurrection to nothing more than a promise of life after death. The power and gift of resurrection are not so much in what happens after death but right here, now, today.”

What matters is that Jesus is alive and will meet us along the road as we share the good news.
The angel sends Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to share the good news with the disciples who were locked in hiding in Galilee. Where is God sending you? Where is Jesus going to meet you? Along what road?

Missionary and pastor Rev. Stephen Bond wrote a reflection on his 34 years in mission and ministry,
“Sometimes I wonder why so many Christ followers seem to tiptoe through life with their faith,” he says, “I think far too many Christians settle for a low-risk faith journey. Sadly, they miss out on the adventure that comes with a faith that takes risks.
This was vividly captured in a video clip of Francis Chan, an author, speaker, and pastor. In the video clip, Chan uses a balance beam to humorously illustrate the low-risk faith that’s common among Christ followers today.

Gymnasts, of course, score points for how they walk, run, jump, and do flips on the balance beam—the higher the risk the greater the reward. The balance beam is a metaphor for faith. But rather than run, jump, or do flips with our faith, many American Christians clutch the “faith beam” with both arms and legs and ultra-cautiously hang on for dear life. This results in such a low-risk experience with Christ that, truthfully, day-to-day living doesn’t require much faith at all. Consequently, there’s not much reward, either.”

On Easter Sunday morning, as I think of Mary Magdalene and the other Mary running with fear and joy to share the good news that Jesus is risen, I think of Rev. Sharon Junn, our Presbytery’s field worker to Asia, that Farmington helped send and is supporting as she ministers. I had an email from her this week. She wrote, “We all are doing well and feel blessed to be here. Today, I visited a small gathering where there were less than 40 members. They had a cleaning ritual for 10 new members( 5 babies and 5 young adults). It gave me a lot of hope.” As she left, she went with joy and fear, knowing that Christ would meet her along the way.

On Easter Sunday morning, as I think of Mary Magdalene and the other Mary running with fear and joy to share the good news that Jesus is risen, I think of our ministry with the homeless, Room in the Inn. Every other Saturday afternoon throughout the winter months as we prepare the clothes and buy the bananas for breakfast, I am aware that all is not safe in housing homeless people we don’t know. Some have mental illness. Some have prison records. All have found themselves in a desperate situation. They are dependent on the kindness of others. We meet them with a bit of fear and a lot of joy.

On Easter Sunday morning, as I think of Mary Magdalene and the other Mary running with fear and joy to share the good news that Jesus is risen, what do you think of? Onto what road is God calling you?
It will be a road that comes with a certain amount of fear. It will be a road that brings joy bubbling up in you. It will be a road to proclaims that death is not the final answer. It will be a road that proclaims that darkness will be overcome. It will be a road that proclaims hope. It will be a road that proclaims life. And there, along the road, suddenly, Jesus will meet you.