Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed!)
Come and see! This invitation is originally given to the Marys at the tomb of Jesus. They had seen a lot, these Marys. Mary Magdalene had been cured of demon possession by Jesus and had become part of the ever-increasing entourage which followed Him around Galilee, Judea, and the surrounding regions. The other Mary could have been one of any number of women–Mary was a popular name. They were there when Jesus was crucified, stood in horror at the foot of the cross. They knew Jesus was dead. They were heading to the tomb to finish dressing Jesus’ body, as there hadn’t been time to finish the job on Friday before sundown and the Sabbath.
Come and see! These women were not really too excited at their trip to the tomb. It was their way to show their care for Jesus, who had done so much for them. Especially Mary Magdalene. They had come to see the grave and to figure out some way of getting in to prepare Jesus’ body. That part they weren’t so sure on, as the grave stone was rather large. But they were going to do what they could for Jesus, that Easter morning.
When they arrived at the tomb, they were absolutely astonished. Matthew fills in the details: an angel of the Lord had rolled the stone away from the entrance to the tomb. His act of opening the tomb had caused the guards to faint dead away. He was sitting there, radiant as light, with clothing white as snow. And he had a special message for the women that morning: "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you."
What a wonderful morning that must have been. No more sorrow, no more sighing, no more thought of the horrid crucifixion they had witnessed just a couple short days earlier–He had risen! The angel of the Lord had opened the tomb and Jesus had risen from the dead, like He had promised He would. No questions, no doubts–just a living, breathing Jesus. What an amazingly good bit of news!
Come and see the place where He lay. Of all the images in Christianity, the image of the open tomb, the tomb once occupied now left permanently vacant, is easily one of the most powerful. There is nothing quite like it. Every other world religion has a prominent grave for its founder, as our most recent Canadian Lutheran notes, but Christianity has an open tomb, an empty grave. Come and see the place where He lay–for He lies there no more.
Come and see that death has been broken. I was surprised, upon opening up my garment bag yesterday, that one of the arms had broken off the crucifix I have worn at church most Sundays since I’ve been your pastor here, that I wore for Good Friday service. But this reminded me that the power of the cross of Jesus, He who was not broken but pierced for our transgressions and wounded for our iniquities, was the power to break sin and death. Things of this world break and fall apart, even things which we think will last, but the grace of God demonstrated through Christ’s death and rising from the dead, lasts forever. Your sins, however numerous they may be, are no longer counted against you. All those things you have done which alienate you from other people or from God have been covered over once and for all. There are no more sacrifices to make, no more pleas to enter. On Good Friday we had a chance to sombrely contemplate and confess our sins. Today we rejoice in the good news that our Jesus is no longer dead–He is risen! That’s why this Easter season I wear the golden cross–the reminder that we have a home in the New Jerusalem, the city of gold, because of the cross and the empty grave, because the Jesus who was crucified is not in the grave anymore, but has risen from the dead!
Come and see, the angel said, and come and see is our calling as well. The Lord calls us to remember the triumph of Easter by coming to His house not just on Easter but every Sunday. If you are in the habit of only coming occasionally, please consider just what the divine service is for. The reason we worship on Sunday in the first place, and not Saturday as the Old Testament faithful did, is because through Jesus’ death and resurrection we have a new life. Jesus kept the perfect Sabbath after His Crucifixion, and rose to new life on Sunday. Hence we celebrate our new life in Christ every Sunday, by hearing His Word. Through God’s Word, through the Sacraments, we are revived and recharged in the new life God gives. We have Sunday School, Youth Class, and opportunities to hear and learn God’s Word other than Sunday mornings which are available, and should be used too.
This celebration of Easter is also partly why we have the tradition of rising for the reading of the Gospel–the word which tells us of our Saviour who rose on Sunday. We rise to honour His Word which raises us from death to life by the Holy Spirit. Baptism is one of the ways in which this death-to-life process works. It is also a celebration of Easter, as we see God’s Word and the water applied to the person who dies to sin and is brought to new life in Christ through it, as the Apostle Paul describes in Romans 6.
Come and see. Today we celebrate Jesus’ life by joining in a foretaste of the great eternal feast, joining in eating of Jesus’ body and drinking of His blood in the Lord’s Supper. We come forward and see the bread and wine, and, in these elements, we see, smell, and taste our Lord. Faith receives this mystery with joy, for the forgiveness of sins, and strengthening of faith, even if human understanding cannot fathom how it is so.
Come and see is only the first part of the angel’s message, however. The women that first Easter morning were also charged to go and tell. Go and tell the disciples that Jesus will meet them in Galilee. As it turned out, Jesus would meet them in Jerusalem even before He met them in Galilee. The call to go and tell also applies to us. Go and tell the disciples. We need to build each other up with God’s Word. Not only that, but as many as are in church this Easter morning, if all of our members–that is, those who claim to be part of our local body of believers–should show up to church, we wouldn’t have enough seating for them all in Morden, and the church would be packed fairly tight in Winkler. On any given Sunday, nearly two-thirds of our members aren’t worshipping with us. We are called to go remind them, go tell them of Christ and His resurrection, His call and what that means, how important it is to live according to His calling, how important it is to be an active part of His family.
Go and tell. We’re called also to go and tell those outside the church. It isn’t about making a scripted presentation. It’s not about having big programs. It’s not about having a position of power or prestige. It’s not about being fancy. Jesus didn’t choose the fancy or the learned or the powerful to be the first witnesses to His resurrection. In fact, the Gospels indicate that the women weren’t believed at first when they witnessed to what they saw. The women were just average people. But they went and told what they had seen and heard. That’s all we are called to do as well. Don’t try to be fancy or powerful or anything other than just being who you are, a follower of Christ Jesus. As you live your life, go and tell those who aren’t part of Christ, that they too will come and see, and also become part of our Lord, baptized into His body.
The church relies on the constant rhythm of come and see followed by go and tell. It’s the way Jesus has made His bride to operate. She relies on her faithful members constantly seeking those who will become part of the body. The faithful come and see Jesus each week and then go and tell what they have seen and heard. This is the calling for all who are in Christ. Telling of Christ is not just the pastor’s job, but the privilege of everyone who has been called by the Gospel, enlightened with God’s gifts, sanctified and kept in the one true faith. A church which gives up her responsibility to go and tell is a church which is destined to also slip away from coming and seeing. That is a church which is ready to close. But a church where the people take what they have heard, apply it to their lives, and then go and tell others–that is a church which is alive and demonstrating her love for Christ her Lord. Which type of church are we?
We need to take this good news of Easter and apply it to ourselves. Jesus has risen! Your sins are forgiven! Eternal life is yours! Now, how will you use it? Stay in the Word of Christ, be faithful to Christ in your home, at your workplace, at school. Show the good news of the Resurrection through your joy at being one who belongs to the Risen Lord.
For the good news of Easter is that since Christ is risen from the dead, we too shall rise. Eternal life is ours, here and now. When we die, we need not fear death, for Christ has defeated death. Our souls will go to be with the Lord. At the end of time, all flesh will rise from the dead, and those who are in Christ will live with Him, body and soul, forever and ever. This is our hope, our hope founded in the historical fact, the unique truth, of having a Lord and Saviour who is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. Come and see Jesus–then go and tell. Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed!) Amen.
Last updated March 2008 by the webmaster.