Easter Between Fear and Joy: Matthew 28:1-10 - Easter Sunday

¹After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. ²And 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. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. ⁴For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. ⁵But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. ⁷Then 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.” ⁸So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

The day the quarantine began, there was a question: what are we going to do about Easter?

It’s not going to feel like Easter if we can’t all be in church. But it will feel like Easter on the Sunday when we all come back to church

This isn’t a bad idea. In a way, we are going to do this: our choirs will lead us in a musical celebration of Easter when we all come back. However, it would be inappropriate to celebrate the ending of a quarantine caused by a virus that caused mass suffering and death.

So here we are. Today is Easter Sunday, even though it doesn’t feel like it. In a very big way, we are experiencing this day much in the same way Jesus’ disciples, family, and friends did—and I don’t need to tell you, there weren’t any great choir anthems, flower orders, egg hunts, or ham dinners on the day of resurrection.

And if the Coronavirus spoiled your Easter plans, consider this: Jesus died on the Day of Preparation for the Passover—the most important festival in Judaism. Jesus’ disciples deserted him. Judas betrayed him. The women, including his mother, watched him die. And they couldn’t even complete his burial because the sun had set—and the Sabbath had begun.

And the resurrection, while being wonderful news, didn’t erase the trauma of his death or take back the disciples’ failures. The resurrection didn’t put everything back together and send everyone off to live happily ever after. All of the threats and dangers remained. If anything, the news of resurrection added to the danger—and confusion. There are only ten verses in today’s Gospel reading—and three mention fear. The women leave the tomb “with fear and great joy.”

I feel like we’re caught between fear and joy today. Joy, because yes, it is Easter Sunday! Jesus is risen! Jesus isn’t sheltering in place inside the tomb. But the Coronavirus and the quarantine have certainly taken much of the joy out. There was no Easter Egg Hunt yesterday; there are no choir anthems this morning; no children getting their pictures taken in their new Easter clothes; no big family gatherings. While joy is in short supply, fear is not. People are still suffering and dying. Covid-19 continues to take away our sense of safety and security, our jobs and businesses, our life savings, our long- and short-term plans. So no, it doesn’t feel like Easter today.

And yet—you have probably never experienced an Easter that so closely resembles the Easter as this one. There is an upside to the absence of pageantry this year: the day of resurrection has come upon us raw, and unadorned. What we are left with is a promise—and a hope.

Remember—the resurrection did nothing to reverse yesterday’s traumas and failures; nor did the resurrection bring with it the elimination of every existential threat Jesus’ disciples faced. Fear remained. Uncertainty remained. Danger remained. But the resurrection defined the future. Death and evil didn’t defeat Jesus—nor will death and evil defeat any who put their trust in him. Come what may, Jesus will have the last word.

This is what Easter is all about, even though today doesn’t feel like Easter.

There will be a time of feasting and celebration. We will have to wait for it.

In the meantime, joy of resurrection awaits you – not in being able to do the things you want to do, but doing what God wants you to do. Today is your day of arising: to lift up holy hands in prayer; to resurrect your bible and hear God speak to you. Now is the time to roll up your sleeves and get to work, to open your pocketbooks, to pick up the telephone, open your hearts, and be a living Body in Christ. Now is the time to accept the things that we cannot change, and be courageous to change the things we can, by God’s help.

God’s resurrection promise raises up the Body of Christ to go and tell that God’s life and love will prevail against the chaos, fear, and death. The Coronavirus is a work of nature; but love and charity are the works of God.

And even though we still don’t know how much longer the pandemic will last and when the quarantine will end, Jesus Christ is risen. Death and evil no longer have him in quarantine. And even though we remain a scattered church, obeying orders to shelter in place, we are still church with life and love to share with the world. We pray for the Spirit’s help to ensure that every weary and broken heart, every ill or hungry body is lifted up by God who raises the dead and makes all things new.

Though it doesn’t feel like Easter today, and it may not feel like Easter for some time, Christ’s resurrection defines the future. Come what may, Jesus will have the last word.