“Again & Again: The Sun Rises and We Are Renewed” An Easter Sermon on Mark 16:1-8

Thank you so much Pastor Wendy, and welcome to all, welcome everyone! Christ is Risen! Happy Easter!

I want to thank you for choosing Metro to worship with this Easter Sunday. My name is Josue Perea, I serve as a pastor along with Pastor Wendy and along with the rest of our teaching team, we have been engaging on the theme “again and again” a refrain which we hear throughout Lent and so this Lenten season we have been discussing why we do these rituals, these practices, these observances, And yet we are here, again, another easter Sunday. But I feel that the reading for this Sunday may help us reveal why we do this again and again and so to start us off I am going to ask our special reader, Mateo to come up and read the scripture for us today:

Mark 16:1-8 (Inclusive Bible)

1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought perfumed oils so that they could anoint Jesus. 2 Very early, just after sunrise on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb. 3 They were saying to one another, "Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" 4 When they looked, they found that the huge stone had been rolled back. 5 On entering the tomb, they saw a young person sitting at the right, dressed in a white robe. They were very frightened, 6 but the youth reassured them: "Do not be amazed! You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, the One who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 Now go and tell the disciples and Peter, 'Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee, where you will see him just as he told you.' " 8 They made their way out and fled from the tomb bewildered and trembling; but they said nothing to anyone, because they were so afraid.

Thank you, Mateo. As the Psalm says:

“from the mouth of babes do we get strength.”

So, we are here again, another easter and we read this text which has become my favorite of the gospel accounts to read during Easter. We follow the Revised common lectionary, and the lectionary has two texts one can pick from this year, either the longer more refined reading in John, which is beautiful and is the reading we did last night during our Holy Saturday meditation, or the reading we just did in Mark.

This Mark text is the best. These eight verses that we read are the original ending of Mark. In Mark, the tomb is empty (apart from the messenger), but nobody gets to see Jesus. It ends in a cliffhanger. That is the raw unedited director’s cut. And then later scribes wanted a better ending, so they wrote one, technically two endings to smooth it out. But listen again to the way verse eight ends. The way this gospel originally ended:

“They made their way out and fled from the tomb bewildered and trembling; but they said nothing to anyone, because they were so afraid.”

 The majority of scholars on the New Testament say that this text ended in verse eight so the ending of this was in Jesus is a head and they were terrified that is the end. And that feels so right now Jesus is ahead and we are terrified. 

I was reminiscing this past week with my Lenten prayer partner, Karen, that this easter does not feel the same. The raging war in Gaza that is affecting children, the fact that Christians in Bethlehem cant celebrate in a similar way, the issues that are happening in Haiti, the problems in Cuba, attacks on Christians in Tigray, the situation in Congo, Sudan, Ukraine and then here the way that our mental health institutions haven’t supported people in need in our own city, so much going on. It doesn't really give us easterly vibes, it isn’t really giving Easter this year, but then again, when have we had that?

Karen reminded me that in 2021, when we met for Easter after the pandemic, in the morning before service she attended a morning prayer for an Asian American woman who had been assaulted during Holy week that year, in 2020 we were mourning deaths of COVID and of Black people at the hands of the police.

Even when we read this text, this text is based on the fact that these women had just been witnesses to state sanctioned and sponsored violence and killing of an innocent man whom they cared for.

Maybe Easter is never “normal.”

And yet we are here. Again, at Easter, because we want to hear a message that may change that, or maybe we just want to be together, maybe we are just doing it because we were asked to do so.

Our situation today resonates with the story in this text. We are facing challenges, but we are here for each other, seeking support and community. Just like the women, we need each other in these moments. We all need different rituals.

Rituals provide strength and community. Throughout Lent, we have participated in them, starting with Ash Wednesday's reminder of our mortality. Some of us fasted, others took on new practices.

Last week, Palm Sunday showed us the fickleness of crowds. The same people who hailed Jesus as king later called for his crucifixion.

The women in the story exemplify this. They undertook the ritual of preparing Jesus' body, a task they knew would not be shared by others who would not be awake so early.

This is why they ask, "Who will help us roll away the stone?" They were determined to face the unexpected alone, but together. They go to do the mundane, the quotidian together.

The three women, Mary, Mary, and Salome knew they would not have company in their grief. They went to the tomb expecting only death. Reflect on their purpose. They did not go because they thought they would get good news, they went together knowing they would have to tend to a dead body, and yet they chose to go.

How hard is it for us to do that? How hard is it to face hardship head-on? Sometimes, like the unexpected death of Jesus, difficulties arise without warning. For Mary, Mary and Salome, the religious leaders and the empire chose a random day, a random Friday, to upend everyone's world.

This raises a question: what expectations do we have for mundane tasks? Do we, like these women, anticipate encountering the divine in the ordinary? The truth is most daily routines are not about awe-inspiring moments. We do them out of duty.

Despite potential fear, the women chose their duty of preparing the body. Most daily tasks are not inherently amazing, we often do them out of obligation. Yet, the women, despite their fear, chose to fulfill their duty. And in that act of service, they received a surprise far greater than they could have imagined.

They are doing mundane tasks. They are not going with hopeful expectation; they are going cause the sabbath is over and just do what they had to do. And their concerns are everyday concerns, who is going to help us out.

Death has crushed all of the hope they held on for the last three years. The empire seems to have eliminated any possibility of change for their circumstances, this is business as usual, and we must forget any promise we may believe we may have had.

They then walk to this place and see the unexpected and someone who captures their attention, their attention has been shifted.

And that is when the powerful aspect of the story happens for me. This young man, which is how the scripture describes him here, that this young man is the one who commanded them to go. He tells them “Don’t be amazed/afraid” and in one second calms their fears for a moment.

He is the one who tells them to go once. And he does it succinctly, Jesus is not here, he is ahead, go and tell them that Jesus is coming. The women, I imagine were dumbfounded. They were just going to clean a body and now must do much more. So in a little bit of time they went from being the fearful to the amazed to the called.

I do not think we can shrink this up the fact that they were called. The reality is that this Angel, this young man telling them go on ahead and tell people that Jesus is going to meet them makes their calling definite.

It makes their calling that much more important because now they have gone from sadness and morning and mundane to being agents for renewal and hope.

It brings to mind the words from the poet Mari Evans who in the last stanza of her poem “I am a Black woman” says the following words.

I am a Black woman.

tall as a cypress

strong

beyond all definition still

defying place

and time

and circumstance

assailed

impervious

indestructible

Look

on me and be

renewed.

Look on me and be renewed.

Hmmm…. Turn to your neighbor, turn to someone, and say, “look on me and be renewed.”

See the women went from being afraid from just doing the mundane things they had to do to now being the people that were going to be the bearers of Jesus's news even amid their agony and pain.

And you may say, but the text ends with the being afraid, and yes you would be right, but we would not know this story, know that this happened if it was not that they shared the news even when afraid. That they did indeed become, just as they did in other gospels, agents of renewal.

Metro, family of faith, this is our task. We must bear the good news somehow. We each carry Christ's message in the world. We do this by talking to people we have not spoken to in a while, by calling and texting friends, by inviting people. We do this by how we walk in the world. We too are called. Even amidst our pain and struggles, we can be bearers of Christ's message. We can do this even when burdened – by our own struggles, the world's suffering, and everything in between.

Dr. Mitri Raheb's Easter sermon exemplifies this beautifully. The teaching team has been reading Dr. Raheb’s “Faith in the Face of Empire” to teach from and learn from Palestinian Christian and his insights are so profound. Anyway, he says in his sermon he shared this past week:

“May we receive during this Easter time, the power to leave behind our fears and become agents of transformation.”

 This week, he shared how a ministry in Bethlehem, Jesus' birthplace, Despite the war and destruction surrounding them, they are creating art with children. In Gaza and the West Bank, amidst unimaginable suffering, they find time for painting, drawing, laughter, and fun. It seems counterintuitive, yet in their suffering, they find renewal and become a source of peace for others. When people see their joy, it becomes a beacon of hope. People look on them and are renewed.

Metro, we may all be facing challenges – personal, communal, or global. It may be hard to find joy during tough moments. Yet, like those in war-torn areas who still find ways to create and bring joy, we can choose renewal.

The message of the resurrection is not about a distant event. It is a call to action for each of us. It reminds me, and hopefully you too, that we can all bring Christ's message to the world. Evan’s words, 'look on me and be renewed,' resonate deeply. Even in hardship, we can embody that spirit. The resurrection invites us to be agents of the resurrection, catalysts for a new reality.

While I may not know your specific calling, today reminds me that you too can bring Christ's message to the world.

The resurrection is not just a historical commemoration. It should be a powerful force that can transform our present realities. It connects us to the world and empowers us to make a difference.

In Mark, the resurrected Jesus is not described as being “with you;” instead, he is “going ahead of you.” If that is true, then death is stripped of its power. There is nothing Jesus’ followers will endure, no place they can go, that Jesus is not already there.

And Jesus goes ahead to face everything ahead of us. But he does give us license to be the bearer of good news. The resurrection in Mark, as per Theologian Emerson B. Powery says is not solely defined by a physical appearance but by a promised re-gathering. He says the following which I think is apropos:

“In this story, despite the absence of Jesus, hope derives from the bond of those relying on his promised return. Hope comes to those who do not ignore that each person needs the other. The absence of Jesus, with the prospect of his return, opens the possibility that humans will rely on one another to participate in the liberation of those on the margins.”

Metro, family of faith, as we depart today, remember these are challenging times, but Easter has always happened during challenging times. There has never been a normal Easter. Easter has always been about overcoming adversity. It is a time that transforms pain and suffering into hope. Let us follow the example of Mary, Mary, and Salome. And let us do that knowing we have a community of faith that we can go to

“When the women go to the tomb, they expect to encounter death. Instead, the angel’s message sends them to the other disciples and back to Galilee, the place where they experienced fullness of life within Jesus’ ministry.”

Even amidst burdens, we can say, 'Look on me and be renewed.' Now, let us pray."

Closing Prayer

Creator,

There are a million ways that you appear to us,

God of the garden and God of the empty tomb.

You appear to us in rituals, both formal and organic—

In drops of water on foreheads,

In vows said at the altar,

Through pieces of bread dipped in ordinary wine,

And through shared candlelight on Christmas Eve.

You speak to us through our relationships—

The comfort of a loved one,

The laughter of our friends,

The security of those who support us and cheer us on.

You appear to us in so many ways, and we are grateful for them all.

However today, you remind us that you also appear to us through one another.

May we be agents of the resurrection, of renewal

that even in the midst of suffering and pain we

We can help a word that is craving to hear your word like never before.

We can be a source of a renewal for those craving to understand, to see themselves in the story.

We can help the world that is craving proximity to you.

Help us be bold and hopeful even amid tough times,

Just like Mary, Mary, and Salome

With hearts full of gratitude, we pray, amen.

Benediction

God’s love is like the sun.

No matter how lost we are in the night,

Day after day, the light will find you.

And God renews us.

Rest easy. You are held in God’s warmth.

As you leave this space,

May your mouth speak of God’s goodness.

May your arms hold those in need.

May your feet walk toward justice.

May your heart trust its worth.

May your soul dance in God’s grace.

And may this be your rhythm—

Again, and again and again,

Until God’s promised day.

In the name of the Lover, the Beloved, and Love itself,

Go with courage, go with heart, go in peace.

Amen.