The Resurrection of Our Lord, Easter Day, 20 April 2014
Acts 10:34-43 or Jeremiah
31:1-6
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Acts 10:34-43 or
Colossians 3:1-4
St. John 20:1-18
St. Matthew 28:1-10
Background: Choices
Ever since the revision of the Lectionary by
the Episcopal and Lutheran Churches, following the model of the Roman Ordo, we have been faced with a
difficult choice during the Liturgy for Easter Day. One choice would be to read the readings from
the Hebrew Scriptures, and the other is to read the reading from Acts. In the one case we lose the reading from
Jeremiah, and in the other we lose a brief reading from Colossians. What guides me in this internal conversation
is the question of what is most urgent to hear, and of course that will provide
for a different answer for many of us. I
prefer to use the Acts lesson as the first lesson because it addresses the
issue of “what must I do now that I have witnessed the resurrection?” The model and examples of the apostles and
early Christians serves us well, I think.
We live in an age in which Easter (like Christmas) has become a cute
accommodation to candy and card manufacturers.
I worry that we find the foundational story too embarrassing, or find it
difficult to really know what it is that we believe about the
resurrection. At a gathering of clergy
in the Diocese of El Camino Real, Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves, had us go through an
exercise in which we had to articulate what it was we not only believed about
the resurrection, but also that which we felt we had to proclaim. It was an uplifting exercise.
Could we preach like Peter, and for those of
us who are not preachers, could we proclaim like Peter. This is an important question in our day and
age, when we find the Church unwilling or unable to tell its fundamental
stories. So read these lessons with
Peter in mind, along with all the other women and men who followed him. What would you say? What would you choose?
Acts 10:34-43
Peter began to speak to
them: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every
nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You
know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ--he
is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee
after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all
who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all
that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging
him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear,
not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who
ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach
to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the
living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who
believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
It is important to remember two events that
precede this discourse on Peter’s part.
The first is his visit with the household of Cornelius, in which Peter
grants his sanction to the ministry and evangelization of the Gentiles. What follows that is a convenient story about
Peter’s vision of the sheet let down from heaven filled with difficulties and
conundrums (filled with ritually impure animals, and fish, which God invites
Peter to eat). With that difficulty and
that innovation well in mind, we then can consider Peter’s discourse.
As I commented on earlier regarding the
“models” that the Acts of the Apostles allows us, so it is here in Peter’s
speech. The great commentator Dibelius
saw this as one of a series of examples that Luke provides to his readers so
that might now how to both preach and proclaim.
The opening verse clearly states Peter, and God’s position on the
matter, “I truly understand that God shows no partiality.” What Peter (or is it really Luke?) treats
us to is an expanded Heilsgeschichte (History of Salvation). As he rehearses the Petrine Kerygma, he also
provides a concise summary of the Gospel of Mark. We might ask, “why not Luke?” The syntax in this segment diverges in its
elegance from Luke, so Luke might very well be preserving an ancient and
earlier fragment that represented the earliest proclamation. Here we see the ancient plan, “all the
prophets testify about him” made real and cogent for people not of Israel,
but rather those of “every nation.” The
last verse is key, “everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of
sins.” What forgiveness does our
time need to be convinced of?
Breaking open Acts:
- For you, what are Peter’s main points?
- Who might appear in your sheet of “unclean things?”
- What would be your “kerygma”
(your proclamation) about Jesus?
Jeremiah 31:1-6
At that time, says the
LORD, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my
people.
Thus says the LORD:
The people who survived
the sword
found grace in the
wilderness;
when Israel sought for
rest,
the LORD appeared to
him from far away.
I have loved you with
an everlasting love;
therefore I have
continued my faithfulness to you.
Again I will build you,
and you shall be built,
O virgin Israel!
Again you shall take
your tambourines,
and go forth in the
dance of the merrymakers.
Again you shall plant
vineyards
on the mountains of
Samaria;
the planters shall
plant,
and shall enjoy the
fruit.
For there shall be a
day when sentinels will call
in the hill country of
Ephraim:
"Come, let us go
up to Zion,
to the LORD our
God."
Here Jeremiah speaks about the Restoration of Israel, (and here is, I
think, the difficulty of connecting the Easter hope to the seldom seen Easter
Visitor.) For those of us who have heard
the stories at the Great Vigil, the connection may not be so troublesome, but
for those who have not, a more fundamental approach may be required. Jeremiah’s themes, however, are indeed
appropriate, in that they are themes, indeed the songs, of joy. There are also thoughts of reconciliation,
for these songs are not only known in Zion, but also “on the mountains of Samaria…in the hill country of Ephraim.” The ancient rift his healed, and brothers
and sisters from both North and South, from Judah and Israel are brought back
to a restoration not only of place by also of relationship with one another and
with the God of Israel. There is also
new life here, as the returnees are encouraged to plant, and to “enjoy the fruit.” This is a new land, or as Jeremiah puts it, “O virgin Israel.”
Breaking open Jeremiah:
- What is your joy at Easter about?
- What new life do you see around you this Easter?
- What has been restored for you?
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 Confitemini Domino
Give thanks to the
LORD, for he is good; *
his mercy endures for
ever.
Let Israel now
proclaim, *
"His mercy endures
for ever."
The LORD is my strength
and my song, *
and he has become my
salvation.
There is a sound of
exultation and victory *
in the tents of the
righteous:
"The right hand of
the LORD has triumphed! *
the right hand of the
LORD is exalted!
the right hand of the
LORD has triumphed!"
I shall not die, but
live, *
and declare the works
of the LORD.
The LORD has punished
me sorely, *
but he did not hand me
over to death.
Open for me the gates
of righteousness; *
I will enter them;
I will offer thanks to
the LORD.
"This is the gate
of the LORD; *
he who is righteous may
enter."
I will give thanks to
you, for you answered me *
and have become my
salvation.
The same stone which
the builders rejected *
has become the chief
cornerstone.
This is the LORD'S
doing, *
and it is marvelous in
our eyes.
On this day the LORD
has acted; *
we will rejoice and be
glad in it.
This thanksgiving psalm, which we encountered earlier during Holy Week
at the Liturgy of the Palms, seems a bit disjointed, mentioning the tent (a
nomadic reference) and the city gate (a more urban example) in the same
verses. It may very well be that this
psalm is a pastiche of several, perhaps five different works that have been
strung together in a song of praise.
There is even a sense of a liturgical side to the construct evident in
the second verse, “Let Israel now say…” in
which the whole nation, and every aspect of the people are urged to
replay. The later, but not final verses
(14-24) explore what is the joy of the people.
The phrase, “Open for me the gates
of righteousness,” gives us a clue as to the editor’s intent. Robert Alter[1]
argues for a different translation of the word tsadiq, which our translator has described as “righteousness.” Alter suggests that it might really be
“victory”, or “justice”. Since justice
was the function of the city gates, rather than the temple gates, I think that
translation as “righteousness” holds well here.
One cannot read verse 23, “This is
the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes,” without thinking of
Elizabeth I, but here we need to supply other marvelous deeds that flow from
the Easter hope.
Breaking open Psalm 118:
- Where do you see justice in our world?
- Where do you see righteousness in our world?
- How are you a part of such righteousness and justice?
Colossians 3:1-4
If you have been raised
with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the
right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that
are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with
him in glory.
Here St. Paul sets before us two contrasts – things “from above” and
things “on earth’, and the notions of being “hidden” and “revealed”. The difference between these two modalities
becomes the gift of the apostle’s message.
With the resurrection, and our participation in the death and
resurrection of Jesus, we move from being just another part of the earth to
being a thing that is from above, and in an obvious and delightful comparison
“hiddenness” and “revelation” are made clear as well. The body, like the body of Christ, was hidden in the earth (burial). The resurrection reveals the risen Christ, no
longer hidden by the earth. The final
statement of the reading is shear good news, “When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be
revealed with him in glory.”
Breaking open Colossians:
- What in your life is “from above?”
- What do you enjoy “from the earth?”
- How do you reconcile the two?
Or Acts (see above)
St. John 20:1-18
Early on the first day
of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw
that the stone had been removed 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." Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward
the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter
and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings
lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and
went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that
had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a
place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went
in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture,
that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.
But Mary stood weeping
outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw
two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the
head and the other at the feet. 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." When she had said this, she turned
around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking
for?" 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." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in
Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her,
"Do not hold on to me, because 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.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the
disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said
these things to her.
Before I begin commenting on this “First Scene” from John’s Resurrection
Narrative, I should like to commend to you Reginald Fuller’s The
Formation of the Resurrection Narratives (1971), now available in a
reprint from Fortress Press. Here the
preacher who introduced us so lovingly to the new lectionary in his articles in
the Benedictine publication, Worship, in
his articles on “Preaching the New Lectionary) takes us step by step in a
chronological fashion from Paul to John and explores the development of the
Easter Narrative by each. I recommend it
highly.
Raymond Brown[2]gives
an exhaustive analysis of this first Scene of the Resurrection Narrative, which
is really two episodes. The first
involves (tangentially) Mary Magdalene, and (initially) Peter, and the “Beloved
Disciple”. The second episode involves
the Magdalene and the risen Jesus. Brown
discusses the heavy editing of this section with its many discrepancies. We need to be, however, interested in each of
these individual’s stories. There is the
quick yet cautious “beloved disciple”, and the brash Peter, along with the
sorrowful Mary. Each of them represents
an approach to the resurrection. It is
Mary who discovers not the empty tomb, at least not yet, but rather that the
stone has been rolled away. Her first reaction
is not one of wonderment (at least this is not how John relates it) but of
urgency to tell someone else – namely the disciples. This might serve as a first clue for us how
to react to the Easter story – it must be told to another, and in doing so we
tell it to ourselves.
Mary reacts to the scene by making an assumption that the body has been
“taken away.” The two disciples go to
investigate, and their separate reactions become important to us. The first, the beloved one, sees the evidence
(the linens on the tomb) but does not go in.
Perhaps for us this can be a sign of “bowing to the mystery” as Alan
Jones would put it. There is an aspect
of the story that stuns us into a silence.
It is Peter who goes in, and then the other. There they “see and believe,” although this becomes a personal statement of
the beloved one. It is Mary who is
caught in the lack of sight initially, but it is she who both sees (the angels)
and does not see (Jesus). For her there
are many possibilities given at the scene.
What is missing in sight is regained in her hearing, “Mary!” We could explore
many aspects of this reading, but perhaps it is enough that each of us will
perceive it differently. It will be in
the telling, that we will confront belief.
Breaking open the Gospel:
- With which of the characters do you identify the most?
- Why?
- What is convincing to you in this story? What is not? Why?
or
St. Matthew 28:1-10
After the
sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other
Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an
angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and
sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said
to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who
was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see
the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, `He has been
raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you
will see him.' This is my message for you." So they left the tomb quickly
with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them
and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet,
and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell
my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
Once
again we are faced with a choice, between John and Matthew. Perhaps some words from W. F. Albright and C.
S. Mann might be helpful. In their
conclusion to the Resurrection Narrative in Matthew they make this comment:
“For all
the confusing chronology, for the manifest variations in tradition, the one thing
upon which all four evangelists are agreed is that the tomb of Jesus was
empty.”
“We
confine ourselves to the single assertion that the Messianic Community for
which Jesus had made provision during his ministry, and for which he was the
instrument of a New Covenant, believed not only that the tomb was empty but
that God had raised Jesus from the dead.
Apart from that faith, there is no understanding of the New Testament.”[3]
It is helpful for us, I think, to look beyond the
shaking guards, the angel, and the lightning like appearances accompanied by
clothing “white as snow.” What it is important to see are two
things: the tomb, and Galilee. The first
minds us in the new reality the all the Gospels seek to mete out to us, and the
second reminds us of Jesus’ constant call to mission. The empty tomb calls us to think about all
that Jesus had done in his ministry.
Following that we are called to Galilee and beyond. But what shall we say?
Breaking open the Gospel:
- Does your resurrection story require a lot of flash?
- Why?
- How would you describe the resurrection?
After breaking open the
Word, you might want to pray the Collect for Sunday:
O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death
of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of
our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him
in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
or this
O God, who made this most holy night to shine with the glory of the
Lord's resurrection: Stir up in your Church that Spirit of adoption which is
given to us in Baptism, that we, being renewed both in body and mind, may
worship you in sincerity and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for
ever. Amen.
or this
Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame
death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who
celebrate with joy the day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the
death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Questions and comments copyright © 2014, Michael
T. Hiller
[1]Alter,
R. (2007), The Book of Psalms, A Translation with Commentary, W.W. Norton and
Company, New York, eBook location, 9187..
[2]Brown, R. (1970) The Anchor Bible, The Gospel According to John (xiii – xxi), Doubleday
and Company, Inc., Garden City, New York, 1208 pages.
[3]Albright, W. and Mann, C. (1971), The Anchor Bible Matthew, Introduction,
Translation, and Notes, Doubleday and Company, Inc., Garden City, New York,
p. 360.
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