April 1, 2018 Grace Easter 2B, John 20:19-31

This is Easter it is also April Fool’s Day.

Long before there was an April Fool’s Day, Joseph of Arimathea got the joke. You see he was very rich, and his tomb was that of a very rich man’s. People probably said to him, how can you give your very expensive tomb in a very expensive graveyard to a man who was poor and died a criminal’s death? He probably thought to himself, “Well he’ll only use for the week end!”

Joseph was faithful. He got it. Jesus wouldn’t be in the tomb long; 3 days.

But how can we joke?

We left here chilled, in the dark and in tears on Friday night.

The terrible sound of the tomb being closed.

Death winning, love losing. God dead.

I think the Moravians may be on to something. They are part of the ELCA bond of denominations. This denomination originated in Herrhut, Saxony, a village established on the estate of Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf in 1722. The band were religious refugees, descendants of the Ancient UnitaFratrum. Where did they celebrate Easter?

They celebrated Easter where Good Friday left off. In a graveyard.

When the Moravians came to America they brought their tradition with them. In 1772 under the auspices of the Salem Congregation Churches they had their celebration. It stated at 2 AM with a band parading thought the streets of the town playing, most appropriately, “Sleepers Awake”. Then marching to God’s Acre, the grave yard, for their celebration as the sun came up.

Celebrate in a graveyard, in a cemetery?

Those are places of mourning and fear. Celebrate when the one we have loved so much is dead? Died a criminal’s death. Died in pain. Died with people shouting insults.

This, the prophet, the one we celebrated just a week ago with palms and hosannas is now dead.

The disciples, those that followed him, those who believe are afraid.

We believers are afraid, afraid of death, of our own death; of our own ending, of our own place in the graveyard.

But, do not be afraid. Jesus has overcome death and the grave.

The women have come to the tomb. Mary has seen him. It is not a secret any longer. Jesus is the Son of God risen from the dead. Paul, in his letters and travels so eloquently explains it all to all the world.

Jesus is alive, and he shows himself to the disciples. He shows his wounds of death and his breath of life. He gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit.

*he appears to Mary Magdalene

*A group of women between the tomb and the city

*two disciples on their way to Emmaus

*Simon

*groups of disciples

*he appears a week later to the disciples behand closed doors

*he appears by the Sea of Tiberias

*more than five hundred

*to James

*to the 11 on a mountain in Galilee

*in the vicinity of Bethany

*to Paul

Jesus risen from the dead. Now we don’t have to fear death.

He is the very one who can calm all their fears. He is the one who had told them before his death, (John 14:27) “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”.

The Commission

In what way did the Creator send Jesus? The Creator sent him with a mission to accomplish. Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." The mission will continue through his church. This is Jesus authorizing his follower to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

He is placing a mantle of responsibility on the church. The theme of being sent, runs all the way through this gospel. There are only four chapters in John’s gospel in which Jesus does not make reference to being sent by the Father.Now that Jesus has completed his mission, he becomes the sender and the church becomes his representative and agent.
Tied very closely with this commission are two significant statements that immediately follow.
John 20:22 “And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” He blew upon them.

What do you think happened when he said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”? I think they received the Holy Spirit! I cannot imagine the glorious, resurrected Christ blowing on his disciples here and saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit” and then nothing happening.

At that moment their inner soul was quickened with resurrection life. Just as God had breathed life in Adam in Gen. 2:7, Christ (the Head of a new creation) breathes life in his church. It is the life of God in them

What does resurrected life look like to us who are celebrating today? Jesus alive, not dead. He has overcome death and the grave. Now we have new life.

How are we to change? How are we to witness? How are we to live our lives from now forward.

Max Lucado, Words from the Lighthouse

Love God more than you fear hell
Once a week let a little child take you on a walk
Make a major decision in the cemetery
Succeed at home first
When no one is watching, act as if they are
Don’t spend tomorrow’s money today
Pray twice as much as you worry
Listen as much as you speak
Only harbor a grudge when God does
Never outgrow your love for sunsets
Treat people like angels; you will meet some and help make some
‘tis wiser to err on the side of generosity than on the side of scrutiny
God has forgiven you; you’d be wise to do the same
When you can’t trace God’s hand, trust God’s heart
Toot your own horn and the notes will be flat—let praises flow to God
Don’t feel guilty for God’s goodness
The book of life is lived in chapters, so know your page number
Live your liturgy

Jesus is telling the disciples all we ever need to know about church and giving us all the tools we need to do the job.

Don’t fret
Keep informed
Move forward even when it seems impossible or unwise
Trust that God’s spirit is in this place.

Jesus is leading us! Let us go and witness to others that he is alive in our lives. Jesus is acting within each one of us and helping us be alive and the best servants we can be.

I end with some advice from Henri Nouwen: Walking by faith is like walking in the dark with a flashlight on our steps. We see a few steps ahead; the darkness swallows up the whole our path. We must trust that, as we move, the light will illumine our path, just a few steps at time. If we do not move forwards, the light remains where it is. Can we blame the flashlight for not showing us the way, when we ourselves will not move down the path? The path is never totally light, be we are never left to totally walk in darkness. The light, the way shower, is with us.

Jesus is risen. He is risen indeed.

Amen