Gardens of Resurrection: Mark 16:1-8 ~ Resurrection Sunday

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When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.  They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?"  When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back.  As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.  But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him.  But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you."  So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. (NRSV)

For years, the same bizarre dream has been replaying itself in my brain, sometimes multiple times per week: I’m back in school, earning decent grades in all of my courses, except for two: literature and chemistry (which, incidentally, were my two most difficult subjects). 

Suddenly, I find myself extremely behind in my coursework for the English class—and consistently forgetting even to show up to chemistry class.  I put myself in danger of not graduating.

I finally decided I had to get to the bottom of this dream.  I go to the library and find a book about dream interpretation.  The answer I found was profound, yet at the same time blatantly obvious: I have a habit of putting off tasks that intimidate me.  But: procrastination puts me in a situation of even greater anxiety, because now I must face my fears with time against me. 

This dream teaches me what a powerful influence fear can be in my life.  Strangely enough, this wasn’t a fear of death or bodily harm.

But fear, regardless of its form, is a powerful obstacle to following Jesus.

This is something we see constantly throughout the Gospels.  In Mark’s Gospel alone, Jesus and his followers came face-to-face with demons, deadly storms, and brutal enemies.  All of their worst fears come to fruition when Jesus is crucified.  It shattered everything that they had come to believe about him.  It left their lives in pieces, seeing how they had left everything behind to follow Jesus in a mission that had now proved a spectacular failure.  And—with Jesus dead, their lives were in mortal danger.

Is it any wonder, then, that when the women at the tomb hear the news that Jesus is alive, that terror and amazement seize them?  The news is just too outrageous to believe, even though Jesus had foretold it ahead of time.  Not only that—these words could have put their lives in danger.

So they say nothing to anyone—because they are silenced by their fear.

How about you?  Have you ever thought about the power of fear in your life?

Whether we realize it or not, fear will influence the decisions we make, the ways we react to trouble, and how we relate to others. 

Have you ever actually identified your fears: what are the losses and hardships you fear?  What are the mistakes fear?  Are there people that you’d avoid if you them on the street?  Are there situations you try and avoid, because you don’t think you know what to do?  Are you eager to stand up for someone who’s being wronged, when it won’t make you popular or be personally beneficial?

How often does your “fight or flight” instinct take over when there’s trouble, but it’s not a matter of life and death? 

All told, Jesus will seldom if ever lead us in the same direction as fear—because fear will not bring us to the life God desires.

So as awkward an ending to the resurrection story as we have here—it’s a very realistic one.  Even though Jesus is raised, life doesn’t fall into a state of “happily ever after” for anyone.  This is real life with real fears and real challenges. 

For the women at the tomb, the cross was the sum of all their worst fears.  The cross is the sum of all fears.  But at the cross—God defeats the object of all our fears.  Evil and death may bruise and batter us, but they will not control our destiny. 

What we are invited to do is to name all of our fears, both big and small.  Many of you may be in a situation now where you’re worst fears have come to fruition and you don’t know if there can ever be peace or joy in your life again. 

In Christ, the places of fear become places of resurrection.  We can face our fears head-on, because Jesus goes ahead of us into those places.  Resurrection liberates us from fear’s power, to be uplifted by God’s hand.   Instead of avoiding strangers, we serve and befriend them.  Instead of avoiding difficult situations, we let the Spirit move us to do what’s right.  Instead of worrying, we pray and rest ourselves in God’s care.  Instead of keeping resurrection a secret, we let the Spirit bring us alive to speak and do the work of resurrection.  Instead of turning on the news or reading the papers and growing numb with the state the world is in, we come together as people in Christ by the power of the Spirit to work towards a more just world.  And even if our worst fears have been realized, either by our own fault or not, Jesus can make you alive again. 

If God can bring new life to the world through the bitter sufferings and death of Christ, just imagine what God can accomplish in your life, and in a community like ours as we belong to one another in Christ.

Resurrection is not a one-time event.  It is an ongoing, eternal reality.  Jesus goes ahead of you into your tomorrows, to meet you in all the places of anxiety and fear.  Trust in him, and he will raise you up from your fears into the joy of the Lord.