Matthew 28:1-10 - Easter Sunday - April 9, 2023

There is one day that Pastors look forward to all year long.
It’s the Monday after Easter.

Now, you may think it has to do with rest, a break after the long haul of Lent, or relaxation after the extra services and preparations of the past few days. Tomorrow we get back to normal, and yes, that is nice. But tomorrow… Easter candy goes on sale. Big sales! Like 50% off Reese’s eggs and Cadbury Eggs and Starburst Jelly beans! Sign me up! 

But today is nice, too.

Now, you know this already, but candy isn’t really what Easter is about, is it? It’s not about the chocolate, no matter how delicious the filling is. Instead, Easter is about our worst being met with God’s best. 

We hear today from Matthew, who of the four Gospels probably has the most dramatic telling of that first Easter morning. It’s cosmic and grand, and yet tangible and simple. From great earthquakes to straightforward greetings of a resurrected Jesus, all of it reminds us that God is at work, subtly and magnificently. 

Nothing can stop God’s uncontainable life.

That doesn’t mean no one tried to stop it, though.

Take for example the Romans and the Religious Leaders. We may say they did their worst, but to them, they did their very best to get rid of Jesus. The story we told over this past Thursday and Friday shows they did everything in their power to stop him. They captured him. They convicted him. They beat him, nailed him, hung him. They killed him. They laid him in a tomb, sealed it up tight, and put armed guards at the entrance. I’d say that’s a pretty good effort at stopping Jesus. 

But it didn’t stop God. An angel shows up, sitting on that huge rock which once sealed the tomb. It’s as if the best efforts of the powers-that-be were nothing more than a convenient place for this angel to sit. They weren’t able to stop God’s intention for life. 

In Jesus, the reign of God breaks open everything that seems fixed and immovable - death included. Their best, their worst - our best, our worst - is no match for God’s intention to save and redeem. 

And how do we react to that news? Well, the Marys who show up at the tomb are good examples. 

When confronted with the news that everything Jesus was saying has indeed come true, that he is raised, that death has been defeated, the women react with “fear and great joy.” Fear and great joy.

The first reaction to the resurrection isn’t “Hooray!” but, “Yay?” Even amid what should be an exciting time, there is too much confusion, too much uncertainty about what this means, and too much fear that we don’t have it figured out yet so it must not be good. 

Fear and great joy. 

For us at St. Philip, fear and great joy are very relatable. A capital campaign brings those emotions out pretty easily. Through the process, there has been tons of excitement about what can be. A parking lot. A new organ. Fellowship and narthex space. An accessible communion rail. More seating. It’s great news that together, we can achieve a lot of these things. Indeed, there is great joy and excitement. 

But it’s also scary. There is uncertainty, and there are questions. There’s fear that because we don’t have all the details figured out yet, it must not be good. There is fear because it’s big, it’s hard, and it’ll change things forever. 

Fear and great joy. 

But the same thing that is true for the women that first Easter morning is true for us. Jesus meets us in and even despite our feelings. Jesus shows up. Jesus brings life. Jesus brings Gospel. Jesus says, “Do not be afraid.”

That’s what Easter means to us. That no matter where we are going, no matter what emotions we carry with us, and no matter if our destination is fuzzy, along the way, Jesus shows up. Nothing can or will keep Jesus away from us. The tomb is empty; not even death can keep Jesus from being with us. And if death can’t stop Jesus, then surely how we feel won’t stop him either. 

We have much that is uncertain, but the promise is Christ greets us and is with us along the way pointing us to life, grace, and love. 

And Jesus encourages us forward. Yes, Jesus will meet us where we are, but through resurrection, God gives us hope that where we are is not where we end. Jesus tells us to go, to move forward. Because with Jesus, there is always one more step, one more reconciliation, one more “do not be afraid,” one more resurrection - one more.

Yes, our lives are full of uncertainty, confusion, fear and great joy. But on Easter, we hear again the promises that Christ meets us where we are. Nothing, not even death, keeps Jesus away. God always calls us forward on our way, one more step. 

Jesus is with us. In the familiar story told. In bread and wine. In fulfilling the promise, “you will see him.” 

Today, God proves love is stronger than anything. The resurrection of Jesus surely is a grand reordering of our world, but it is also the simple promise of presence with us no matter what.

So, on this Easter Sunday, may you know that Christ will meet you.
May your fears turn into great joy.
And may you trust that wherever you are, you will always be met with the never-ending, life-giving, love-filled, absolute very best of God.