Rev. Paul J Cain
John 20:1-18
Running to the Tomb
The Resurrection of Our Lord: Easter Dawn, March 2013
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
[1 Christians, to
the Paschal Victim/ Offer your thankful praises! The Lamb the sheep has
ransomed: Christ, who only is sinless, Reconciling sinners to the Father. Death
and life have contended/ In that combat stupendous: The Prince of life, who
died, Reigns immortal.]
What strange battle
it is for the Christ of God to defeat death by dying, reconciling sinners to
the Father, ransoming us sinful, straying sheep. Easter means that. The death of
Christ gives life. The Resurrection means that the dead Son of God now reigns
immortal. As I have taught this ancient song, (called a sequence) to both
choirs of adults and to children, I have been struck by the lack of a verb in
the first line, “Christians, to the Paschal Victim…” Because of the differences
between Latin and English, translations do not always fully communicate the
nuances of the original.
Should Christians pray to the Passover Victim? Yes. Should
Christians sing to the crucified
Christ? Yes. Should we run to bear witness about the crucified and risen Lord?
Yes! Should we, as Christians, offer
thankful praises to Christ Jesus, the Paschal Victim? Indeed. And that is
the clearest meaning of the Latin text in English. Should we come running to Jesus to receive the
gifts His Resurrection brings us? Certainly. And so will the disciples once
they hear the news from Mary Magdalene, although they were running out of
disbelief instead of faith.
Now on the first day
of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and
saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to
Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them,
“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have
laid him.” 3 So
Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were
running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb
first. 5 And
stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
6 Then Simon Peter
came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there,
7 and the face
cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but
folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then
the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw
and believed; 9 for
as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples
went back to their homes.
They did not yet
understand. They had been told the truth, that Jesus rose from the dead, but
they did not yet have faith. Mary knew of the empty tomb and ran to tell the
disciples. They ran back to the empty tomb. The disciples saw and believed only
that the tomb was empty. And they went home. Mary didn’t.
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and
as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where
the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her,
“Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord,
and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw
Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir,
if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take
him away.” 16 Jesus
said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which
means Teacher). 17 Jesus
said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but
go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your
Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary
Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that
he had said these things to her.
Mary was weeping out
of grief, confusion, and does not yet know all that was in store for her. After
Jesus’ appearance to her, she announces the Resurrection to the disciples, “I
have seen the Lord,” and not merely the truth of an empty tomb.
Easter Sunday is
more than a day to dress up in our Sunday finest, have a special meal, and
celebrate an empty tomb. We rejoice in a risen Lord. We rejoice in a Risen Lord
who will raise us from the dead on the Last Day. We celebrate a life-giving
Lord that delivers new lives, new hope, forgiveness of sins, a fresh start,
lives with meaning because of Jesus’ sacrificial death and victorious
resurrection.
About the Cover: The Lord is Risen
indeed. He is Jesus, our Savior and King! He walked the earth [and knows] what
it’s like to be human. He suffered the pain of death on a cross to set us free.
He rose from death to bring us everlasting life. He gave us the Holy Spirit so
we would never walk alone.
Each Sunday is
another opportunity to receive Christ’s Easter gifts. We Christians worship on
Sunday not because it is a day of obligation, like a New Testament version of
the Jewish Sabbath, but because it is the first day of the week, the day of the
Resurrection of Our Lord. Sunday is also the day the Lord began Creation. And
we remember the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on a Sunday, the first Christian
Pentecost. The Lord has good gifts for you in Christ Jesus at Immanuel Lutheran
Church. Alleluia! Amen.
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
