The Resurrection of Our Lord (B) — Stories from the Easter Vigil
Part 1 – Genesis 1
God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth…”
God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
In the ancient tradition of the Church, Christians gathered late on Saturday to celebrate Easter. They told Old Testament stories, hoping to evoke the sense of waiting that the first disciples had. Christ had died but had not yet risen. Our hearts are breaking, and we need to hear God’s promises. Twelve stories are used at the Vigil. This Easter morning, we’ll cut it down to three.
Creation. A time before salvation was needed—there was nothing to save. Just God, fully present, nothing but Love permeating the emptiness. The Trinity springs out of that Love, a Love that needs something to Love, the Father loves the Son who loves the Spirit. And this Love conceived of creating something else to love, to share this Love with, and the Spirit shook the waves with laughter in anticipation.
God spoke, and the word that was spoken was Christ, the “Love” that is the foundation of everything. God reached into the deep and pulled the earth into being, rising up out of the water, and there was no end to the Spirit’s creativity.
But the best, God saved for last. A creature that could do more than simply dwell in Love. A creature made to reflect God’s love onto the rest of creation, with the power to create new things as well, to participate in the explosion of love that creation would be.
And as the Word spoke humankind into existence, he already knew what would happen. People would need to be saved from themselves, and it would cost dearly. He could have stayed silent, decided it was a mistake to create these creatures who would break themselves, and each other, and even God’s own heart. But God already loved them too much, even while still just an idea. So God created them, and blessed them, and set in motion a plan to save them from themselves.
Part 2 — Exodus 14–15
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. At the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea…
Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.”
One people forcing another people to be slaves. Not the first time in history, and certainly not the last. We are dying here in Egypt, the Hebrews said. Doesn’t God care about us?
Care? No, more than that. God Loves his people. All of them. The Hebrews and the Egyptians. My beautiful creation, created in Love, to be loved and to love others. The people of Egypt had been spoken into existence by the Word of Love. Now they were harming the Hebrews, yes. And harming themselves. They rejected the very reason for their existence, they betrayed their own identity as God’s image, they were undoing their own existence. They drowned in the sea, yes. But by their own hands, they had already been long dead.
But the same waters brought life to the Hebrews, as they walked across the sea on dry land. God reached into Egypt and pulled a new people into being, rising up out of the water, and there was no end to the life of these beloved. They sang and celebrated, Miriam leading the women with tambourines and dancing. Not just a bunch of unhappy slaves, but a single community, praising God for triumph and salvation. Horse and rider he has thrown into the sea!
The first big step. God’s Word was speaking, teaching humanity about salvation. God would always save, taking the death we create for ourselves and turning it into life. The plan was under way.
Part 3 — Daniel 3
[King] Nebuchadnezzar said, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods and you do not worship the golden statue that I have set up?”…[They] answered the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defense to you in this matter. If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up…”
The three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up quickly. He said to his counselors, “Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire?” They answered the king, “True, O king.” He replied, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the fourth has the appearance of a god.” Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out!”
King Nebuchadnezzar, the powerful ruler of Babylon, had reshaped the Middle East, making sure all the other peoples and languages and nations could never be as powerful as him. A king must protect his subjects. But he needs power for that, and power craves more power.
But God’s power is always greater, because it is based not on might, but on Love. God’s love for the oppressed Israelites was matched by God’s love for the Babylonian oppressors. It is difficult to remember. Our enemy must learn that God’s love will save us. But we must also learn that God’s love will save our enemy. God’s power, God’s love, is big enough for both.
So Nebuchadnezzar reaches for more power, and three young men—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—refuse to give it to him. They are faithful to Love instead, a love that is willing to die for love’s sake. We would rather be thrown into the furnace of blazing fire than to abandon the Love that spoke us into being.
But the king is astonished. The three young men are alive, walking around in the furnace, not hurt at all. And they are joined by a fourth, a heavenly being, a God, it seems. The Word has not yet become flesh—that will come one day soon—but he is fully present, saving his beloved from death. The king calls them out, and like Lazarus from the tomb, they emerge unharmed. God has reached into the fire and pulled his people into life, rising up out of the flames, and there was no end to the ways he would bring his salvation. The king knew God’s power would always be greater than his, and he worshiped this Love. And the Israelites rejoiced at their oppressors salvation, too. Everything was ready.
Part 4 — Mark 16
When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Before Lent, we noticed that in the Gospel of Mark, nobody seems to know who Jesus is. It looks like he’s just a teacher, a healer, a wise man. Occasionally someone does figure it out. The demons recognize him. Peter calls him Messiah. James and John see him transfigured. But in every case, Jesus tells them sternly: Be quiet. Don’t tell anyone who I am. Keep it to yourself.
But why keep that silent? Jesus, the great miracle worker, curing people from every illness, even raising people from the dead! Jesus, the great Rabbi, teaching people how to live, fully, as God made them to be! Jesus, standing up to the powers, working to bring mercy and justice to all the oppressed!
But Jesus is no mere teacher or healer. He is the Word that Loved creation into being. He is the Word that Loved the Hebrews across the sea, and into beloved community. He is the Word that Loved the enemy so much that it became an enemy no more. He is the Word that knew from the beginning of creation what kind of Love would be needed in order to save humanity from ourselves, a love willing to die for love’s sake. To reach into death itself and pull all of creation into life again, rising up again, with no end to the life we live in Love.
We cannot truly understand who Jesus is, until we see the whole story. From the very beginning, all things were working themselves out for the purpose of Love. Resurrection was happening before there was anything to resurrect, and that it will keep happening to us every moment of every day for the rest of eternity.
Go and tell them, and you will see, says the angel at the tomb. But they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Perhaps they did not yet truly understand, these faithful women, what they were there to witness. Perhaps we don’t understand either. Never mind. The plan is working, the salvation is here, the resurrection is always, the Love permeates our emptiness. We may not always be able to speak, but the Word can, the Word made flesh, the Word risen again. And we shall hear it speak. And then, we can sing.