Difference between revisions of "Sermon for April 9th, 2023"
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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.” | 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.” | ||
| − | ==Fearless | + | ==Fearless== |
There are countless things that people have been afraid of through the years; many of them even come with a clinical diagnosis and a fancy name. For example, have you ever heard of... | There are countless things that people have been afraid of through the years; many of them even come with a clinical diagnosis and a fancy name. For example, have you ever heard of... | ||
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#If you're afraid of overly complicated buildings....you might have a complex complex complex. | #If you're afraid of overly complicated buildings....you might have a complex complex complex. | ||
| − | In today's scripture passage, the two Marys (Mary Magdalene and a woman identified simply as "other" Mary) go to the tomb where their friend and teacher, Jesus, was buried. On the way there, they experience an earthquake, which leaves them, well... pretty shook up (sorry for the pun!). They see the large stone which had been covering the tomb rolled away and | + | In today's scripture passage, the two Marys (Mary Magdalene and a woman identified simply as "other" Mary) go to the tomb where their friend and teacher, Jesus, was buried. On the way there, they experience an earthquake, which leaves them, well... pretty shook up (sorry for the pun!). They see the large stone which had been covering the tomb rolled away and a heavenly being sitting on top of it. The Roman Guards--highly trained and battle-seasoned men--freak out and play dead, but the Angel tells the two women, "Don't be afraid," and shows them the empty tomb. They are still afraid. He sends them to Galilee with the message that Jesus is alive again, but before they can get there, the resurrected Jesus shows up in person. He, too, tells the women, "Don't be afraid," and like the angel sends them on to Galilee to share the good news with the disciples. |
| − | Neither Mary is mentioned again in Matthew or in the later books of the New Testament, but there is an old tradition in the Orthodox Church | + | Neither Mary is mentioned again in Matthew or in the later books of the New Testament, but there is an old tradition in the Orthodox Church which relates how Mary Magdalene, later in life, was invited to a banquet held by the Roman Emperor Tiberius. Upon greeting the Emperor, Mary held up an egg in her hand, saying "Christ is Risen." The emperor laughed at her, and said that was about as likely as the egg in her hand turning red. The legend says that the egg immediately turned red, and Mary fearlessly began to share the gospel with everyone in the emperor's household. |
| + | Whether or not that story is true, it is certainly true that within a few decades of Jesus' death, his followers--men and women alike--were boldly sharing the message of his death and resurrection, risking (and often laying down) their lives to do so. They went from fearful, to fearless. And it all began on that first Easter Sunday. | ||
| + | When someone says to you, "Don't be afraid," how does that make you feel? Does it work? Do you believe them? | ||
| + | |||
| + | For me sometimes it has the opposite effect: "This is your captain speaking. We had a minor problem with the left turbine, but don't be afraid--everything is under control." Well, I wasn't worried before, but now I am! If you have things under control, is there really a need to call my attention to the danger? | ||
| + | |||
| + | It also depends a lot on who exactly is telling you not to be afraid, and what the situation is. I have two younger brothers (they are twins) and whenever one of them says, "Don't worry--this is perfectly safe!" it usually means that something is about to fall apart, catch on fire, or explode. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Sometimes when people say, "Don't be afraid," what they really mean is, "I'm afraid, too" and while the company is nice, the words aren't that reassuring; there is still plenty to fear. | ||
| + | |||
| + | No, I think that in order to convincingly and credibly say, "Do not be afraid" of something--for those words to actually inspire confidence, the person saying them has to have one of three things that those who are afraid do not: Power, Knowledge, or Experience. | ||
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| − | + | ||
The guards have "power" but no experience of Jesus. The women have experience of Jesus, but no power, and no knowledge (understanding) of God's plan. | The guards have "power" but no experience of Jesus. The women have experience of Jesus, but no power, and no knowledge (understanding) of God's plan. | ||
Revision as of 16:17, 8 April 2023
Matthew 28:1-10
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.”
Fearless
There are countless things that people have been afraid of through the years; many of them even come with a clinical diagnosis and a fancy name. For example, have you ever heard of...
- Syn-geneso-phobia – Fear of one's relatives
- Xantho-phobia – Fear of the color yellow
- Arachi-butyro-phobia – Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of one’s mouth
- Ana-tidae-phobia – Fear of being watched by a duck
- Hippopoto-monstro-sesquip-pedalio-phobia – Fear of Long Words
But wait! Did you also know that...
- If you're afraid of long lines at the airport...you might have a terminal illness
- If you're afraid of the elevator...there are steps you can take to avoid it.
- If you're afraid of large birds...don't you think might be getting carried away?
- If you're afraid of German sausages...that means that you fear the wurst.
- If you're afraid of a very large speed bump...you can slowly get over it.
- If you're afraid of giants...you probably have fee fi phobia.
- If you're afraid of negative numbers...you should stop at nothing to avoid them.
- If you're afraid of the self-serve-buffet...you really gotta learn to help yourself.
- If you're afraid of intruders sneaking into your house...you're not alone.
- If you're afraid of overly complicated buildings....you might have a complex complex complex.
In today's scripture passage, the two Marys (Mary Magdalene and a woman identified simply as "other" Mary) go to the tomb where their friend and teacher, Jesus, was buried. On the way there, they experience an earthquake, which leaves them, well... pretty shook up (sorry for the pun!). They see the large stone which had been covering the tomb rolled away and a heavenly being sitting on top of it. The Roman Guards--highly trained and battle-seasoned men--freak out and play dead, but the Angel tells the two women, "Don't be afraid," and shows them the empty tomb. They are still afraid. He sends them to Galilee with the message that Jesus is alive again, but before they can get there, the resurrected Jesus shows up in person. He, too, tells the women, "Don't be afraid," and like the angel sends them on to Galilee to share the good news with the disciples.
Neither Mary is mentioned again in Matthew or in the later books of the New Testament, but there is an old tradition in the Orthodox Church which relates how Mary Magdalene, later in life, was invited to a banquet held by the Roman Emperor Tiberius. Upon greeting the Emperor, Mary held up an egg in her hand, saying "Christ is Risen." The emperor laughed at her, and said that was about as likely as the egg in her hand turning red. The legend says that the egg immediately turned red, and Mary fearlessly began to share the gospel with everyone in the emperor's household.
Whether or not that story is true, it is certainly true that within a few decades of Jesus' death, his followers--men and women alike--were boldly sharing the message of his death and resurrection, risking (and often laying down) their lives to do so. They went from fearful, to fearless. And it all began on that first Easter Sunday.
When someone says to you, "Don't be afraid," how does that make you feel? Does it work? Do you believe them?
For me sometimes it has the opposite effect: "This is your captain speaking. We had a minor problem with the left turbine, but don't be afraid--everything is under control." Well, I wasn't worried before, but now I am! If you have things under control, is there really a need to call my attention to the danger?
It also depends a lot on who exactly is telling you not to be afraid, and what the situation is. I have two younger brothers (they are twins) and whenever one of them says, "Don't worry--this is perfectly safe!" it usually means that something is about to fall apart, catch on fire, or explode.
Sometimes when people say, "Don't be afraid," what they really mean is, "I'm afraid, too" and while the company is nice, the words aren't that reassuring; there is still plenty to fear.
No, I think that in order to convincingly and credibly say, "Do not be afraid" of something--for those words to actually inspire confidence, the person saying them has to have one of three things that those who are afraid do not: Power, Knowledge, or Experience.
THE TOMB Fear of the unknown What makes us fearless? EXPERIENCE
THE EARTHQUAKE Fear of what we cannot control What makes us fearless? POWER
THE MESSAGE Fear of what we don't understand What makes us fearless? KNOWLEDGE
THE LORD Fear of the other (what is different from us) What makes us fearless? RELATIONSHIP
The guards have "power" but no experience of Jesus. The women have experience of Jesus, but no power, and no knowledge (understanding) of God's plan.
Can we believe in Jesus' resurrection today? -Can't prove it one way or another. -But why would the followers of Jesus and the first century martyrs go so willingly (and fearlessly!) to their deaths if they did not have some reasonable assurance that death was not the end?
