Sermons for the Month
It's Disconcerting, Isn't It?
DATE: April 12th, 2009
SERVICE: Easter Sunday
TEXT: Mark 16:1-8“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
Now, that's disconcerting, isn't it? We go to all this trouble - preparing special music, decorating with spring plants, gathering with family and friends for worship - to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the Gospel lesson (in fact the Gospel of Mark) ends with these words. "And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid." What's the deal? Is that what Easter is all about? I hate to tell you this, but it's worse than you think. In Greek, the language in which the New Testament was written, the ending is in the middle of a sentence. "And they said nothing to anyone, they were afraid for…." Can you believe it, the Gospel ends with a preposition? As one commentator said, "The most important story of the Christian faith just stops and the end just hangs out there. We are left waiting, unresolved." (1) In English the translators moved the preposition, but that still does not solve the problem with an unfinished Gospel and our wondering what to celebrate on Easter. Where is the appearance of the Risen Jesus to the women, or to anyone? As Thomas Long notes, "Easter is supposed to have post-resurrection appearances, joyful seaside meals, scenes of reconciliation and forgiveness, garden embraces of the risen Lord, and the disciples' excited shout, "He is risen!" (2) Is this anyway to do a resurrection, or to end a Gospel? Some of our ancient predecessors thought not, which is why there are two alternate ends to the Gospel printed in many Bibles. But, scholars are quick to note that these were later additions offered by people who also thought Mark's closing phrase was lame. "And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid." Now, tell me, what are we supposed to do with that? Well, maybe we should acknowledge the reality of it. As one preacher wrote, "What Mark's ending lacks in romance it makes up for in sheer realism. Isn't this the world we live in?" Well, isn't it? We all have faced, or perhaps are facing, moments of shock, of let down, of disappointment, of grief and of fear. Who has not had a bottom-dropping-out experience? Then we are just like those women who said nothing to anyone; we want to believe, to be faithful, in the face of the unknown and the unpredictable, but…it's not easy. Think about them; they understood death. It was tragic, yes; they mourned their teacher Jesus. But, they knew what to do next. His body had to be properly prepared for entombment. And then not only is that worrisome stone already removed from the tomb's entrance, but inside they find a dazzling young man telling them that Jesus has been raised and that he is going ahead of them to Galilee. Preacher and teacher Cynthia Campbell points out that one of three things is true. Either they are hallucinating, or this young man is part of a conspiracy and has stolen the body or this really is a messenger and something as amazing as creation itself has just happened. Any way you look at it, they were bound to be terrified. (3) We can put ourselves in their shoes (sandals), can't we? In that moment of doubt when the options seem to be mental illness, criminal activity or religious extremism, we probably would say nothing to anyone too. Or, to bring it closer to our reality, at those bottom-falling-out moments we are seized by a variety of emotions. It seems as though we are teetering on a cliff, not knowing what will happen next, but afraid that it's not good. It is at such a moment that it's a relief to know that this is not all there is; this ending is not the ending. Do you see what I mean? That moment of terror and amazement that shut the women's mouths on that first Easter was an ending that was not the ending. The story is not over; it will unfold not just for a few weeks or months, but for decades and centuries, right up until April 12, 2009. The late Donald H. Juel, in his commentary on the Gospel of Mark, tells the story of one of his students who had memorized the whole of Mark in order to do a dramatic reading before a live audience. At his first performance, after he spoke that unsettling last verse, he stood there awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other, the audience waiting for more, waiting for closure, waiting for a proper ending. Finally, after several anxious seconds, he said, "Amen!" and made an exit. The relieved audience applauded loudly. Upon reflection, though, the student realized that by providing the audience a satisfying conclusion, his "Amen!" had actually betrayed the intention of the text. So, at the next performance, when he reached the final verse he simply paused for half a beat and left the stage in silence. The audience was uncomfortable and uncertain. But, then, as people exited there was a buzz of excited conversation because of the non-ending. Just think of the possibilities! How might the power of Jesus and his sacrificial love push them beyond their silence? When will they encounter the Risen Lord? Who will they become because of this experience? If God has altered the rules of the known world by creating life from death, then how else might God be a work in their lives? And couldn't we ask the same question about our lives at those bottom falling out, teetering on the brink moments? How might the power of Jesus and his sacrificial love push us forward? When will we encounter the Risen Lord? Who will we become because of this experience? What human assumptions, particularly at seemingly hopeless times, are no longer valid? Charles Campbell challenges us with this thought, "Jesus is loose in the world. He is not in our present as a lifeless corpse or in the past as a distant memory. Rather, he goes ahead of us into the future to meet us there and claim us, not on our terms, but on his." (5) Given that, I'd say that Mark got it right. We go to all this trouble - the flowers, the music, coming together - not to celebrate an ending, but a beginning. Mark's odd ending is not so odd, because it's not an ending! We are a part of the story and the next chapter is being created with ______________ and _________________ and _________________ as characters, along side Jesus. Come to think of it, that's disconcerting too…good…but, disconcerting!
AMEN
(1) "When Is an Ending Not the End" by Cynthia Campbell, Program #4427, April 15, 2001, www.csec.org
(2) "Dangling Gospel" by Thomas G. Long, The Christian Century, April 4, 2006, pg. 19
(3) Same as #1
(4) Same as #2
(5) Weekly Seeds, "Now What" (April 6-12) by Kate Huey, www.i.ucc.org