04-12-09 Easter 10:30am Surprised Again!

We know the feeling, don't we? People leave, things change and what once was is no longer. It may be real physical death, the painful gut-wrenching life-altering experience of knowing that -at least in this lifetime- we will never see our beloved mother, father, sister, brother or friend again. It happens through divorce and the shattering of our dreams, the reorienting of our relationships and the redefinition of what we call family. It comes when friends move to a different job, a different town, a different state, a different country and although we may still talk from time to time, we know it will never be the same. It happens when we're the ones who move on, for no matter how much we long for the change, we know that we have left something precious behind. It happens when we lose a job and the economy is such that we aren't sure when or if we will find another one. It happens as our sense of security is washed away and our hope for the future looks like a barely flickering ember. It even happens in communities of faith, a youth minister or a music minister or a cherished church member sets off on a new adventure and their going leaves an aching hole in the heart of the community.

It was just such an aching hole that tore at the heart of the community of disciples who had come to know and love the one we call Jesus of Nazareth. He had in many and various ways transformed their lives. The time they spent with him had been full of hope, promise, excitement and joy; that is until the last few months when the tensions began to mount and the challenges of the religious officials began to escalate. Then came that horrible night, betrayal, denial, trial; followed by an even more horrific day watching their friend die the death of a criminal. Amazingly they kept the Sabbath rituals, but it was not the same without him. How could they sing songs of praise when God had deserted them?

So it was that Mary came to the tomb that day. In John's account, there is no mention of why she came. All we know is that when she came, she found the tomb empty. That is the one constant in all of the gospel accounts. But for Mary, an empty tomb only pointed to more emptiness; that is until the gardener spoke her name. In an instant new life filled her being and she rushed forward to embrace this one whom she loved so dearly. At which he said, "Mary, do not hold on to me......"

"...do not hold on to me......" these words of the risen Christ speak to what I believe is the human tendency to hold on to the past; to remember the "good old days" as if no days can ever be as good; to preserve the status quo; to keep everything the way it was. Or they speak to the equally strong tendency to hold on to the pain, the guilt, the fear or the anger that keeps us stuck and unable to move forward. Whether it's good or bad, we all tend to want to hold on to what has been.

Not long into the season things began to click for the team. Much to the Coach Clark's surprise, this new team hit a rhythm that produced points on the scoreboard that launched a winning spree that carried them almost all the way to the championship game.

After the season ended conversations among students, teachers, parents, and other people in the community revolved around what would happen next year. The more they talked about it, the more they speculated about how many games they would win. Their speculations fueled their excitement over the possibility of a winning season and a shot at the championship.

When Coach Clark gathered the team for training just before the new season commenced, hope of a winning season filled the air. After he gave the players a chance to warm up on the court, he blew his whistle and called for everyone to take a seat on the bleachers near him. He started by thanking each of the players for staying with the team another year. He went on to affirm their talents, their fine finish last season, and the sense of anticipation regarding the future of the team. Then he elaborated on the tough beginning they endured last year and the happy ending they enjoyed together.

"Men," he explained, "the team came back to life after everyone had given us up for dead. When we started to come alive, people began to believe in us again. Now they're sure that we have a winning season on our hands. But men, we're not back in last season when things started to turn around for us. And we're not playing the championship game yet either. Right now we're in the middle, somewhere between having the breath put back in our lungs last season and winning the championship next season. If what happened in the past means anything to us and if we anticipate something good happening in the future, we've got to make the most of the time in the middle."

Then he encouraged them to practice the plays more, work the court better, and shoot the ball with more accuracy. Finally he said, "Remember that we've experienced a resurrection of sorts. We believe that the season ahead of us looks promising. But keep on telling yourself that you have an opportunity right now to make the most of what's here in the middle."

Mary came to the tomb in her grief, in her deep longing to have Jesus back again. And yet when she finally saw him in the garden, the risen Christ told her that she can't, after all, have him back as he was before. Yes, he was raised from death that is the promise and that is the hope, for him and for us, but the resurrected life is not the same as the old life. ... What Easter brings in isn't a longer life; it is a completely different kind of life.

This Easter is certainly nothing like the Easters we have experienced in the past few years. There are no caves opening or waterfalls in the chancel. But God is here, we are here and a new life is waiting. Next week we will meet the person who will hopefully become our next youth minister. She brings different gifts, different ideas, different blessings. We don't know what the future will look like. But the Easter promise is that Christ is with us and will lead us into a future that we cannot see or imagine.

That's the good news of Easter: that God will always, always, always bring new life out of all of our death experiences. But to find that life, to experience that life, we must eventually let go of what has been and, in trust, make the most of what's in the middle while we embrace a future that only God can see. It is true for us as individuals and as a community of faith.

Our visit to the tomb must be brief. While we join in the celebration of a joyous Easter morn, we cannot hold onto the risen Christ. We cannot remain in the past wondering at the miracles God has performed. We must be willing to step out in faith, live life in the middle and see what miracles God yet will do, in us and through us. Amen.