Sermon for Easter Day: April 20,2003

by The Rev. Susan Anslow Williams

particular focus on Mark 16:1-8

The testimony of Mary, wife of Clopas, on Easter morning

Mary runs in, breathless

Oh, oh my, is it gone?  That man, the angel – is it following me? 

At first we thought it was just a man, an intruder into our dear friend’s tomb...

but then it became apparent: this was no mortal;

and something very strange was going on. 

He told us not to be amazed but how could we not be? 

The stone had been moved, Jesus was gone, this angel was there to greet us—

oh, dear God, what has happened?  What is going on today??

We were all so frightened.  I’m still shaking.

Mary!  Salome!   I guess they’ve headed back to the city. 

But I can’t, not just yet.  I have to think about all this. 

Perhaps telling you will help me work it out.

She goes to the pulpit

I suppose I’ve got you awfully confused

and I ought to back up a bit. 

I’m Marah – you would call me Mary. 

My husband is Clopas, he’s a cousin of Joseph’s. 

So Jesus was – well, not exactly my nephew, but he felt like it –

that’s how much I loved him.

It all started three days ago.

Well, more than that; but all our hopes for him,

his gifts of leadership and teaching, healing,

even doing things you’d probably call miraculous –

all that came crashing down when he was arrested. 

He was betrayed by one his own friends, Simon’s son Judas! –

and was put to death by the Roman governor.  On a cross. 

Oh, dear God, it was horrible.  The blood, the agony;

the men couldn’t face it, not Peter or James or John;

not even my Clopas or our boys who claim to be so tough.

But we stayed – his mother Mary and I, and Mary called Magdalene;

Salome, the sisters Martha and Mary; and several others –

we stayed until the end.  

his dear mother’s face bore every spasm of his poor limbs,

every moan from his parched lips. 

At one point she fainted, and we held her. 

But she would not leave. And so neither would we. 

But I wanted to, I wanted to run from that terrible place.  

Perhaps that’s why I’m running now.

Life has gone crazy, and even death isn’t following the rules.

You see, his tomb was empty!

We went with spices and the tomb was empty!

When his mother finds out what’s happened to his body,

it will break her heart even more. 

How awful!  Who would do such a thing? 

And how could they do it? The stone was so large...

and those Roman soldiers nearby to make sure no-one tried to make trouble....

Oh, there will be trouble now, I know it. 

Someone’s got to warn his disciples. 

I guess that’s what we were supposed to do.

 If only we hadn’t been so scared.

Could some of his friends have done this, as the guards are sure to claim?

Who would be strong enough...? 

Unless... unless... that angel... unless God...

What if it’s true? Jesus has been brought back from death?   

Then if all those things he was telling us,

and all those things people were saying about him, were also true –

he really is the Messiah, the Savior, God’s chosen one.

Even, God’s Son? 

I must admit, having known Jesus since he was knee-high,

I had trouble believing some of those titles people were giving him. 

I mean, a boy you’ve seen playing in the mud,

building rafts out of sticks and being picked on by bullies –

him, the Messiah? 

Clopas, the boys and I would visit his family quite regularly;

and believe me, based on his childhood,

I’m not sure you’d guess he was that special. 

I remember once, it was springtime, a day rather like this,

Jesus was out playing in the garden

when he found a bird’s nest that had fallen from the tree. 

He picked it up and found three tiny eggs underneath, broken. 

And would you believe it, he cried, and tried to put that nest back together

and balance it on a branch, so the mama bird might come back and try again, I think. 

Huh.  I haven’t thought of that story for a long time.

Maybe he was an unusual child after all. 

Certainly bright, very interested in the Torah and the prophets –

 he could memorize those scrolls so fast, it astounded the rabbis. 

Argued with them, too – that made my cousin Joseph crazy. 

Don’t challenge the teachers, he would shout,

Oi! it’s going to get you in trouble!  

Well, Joseph was right about that.  It got Jesus into a lot of trouble. 

Why couldn’t he have just left well-enough alone?

Told us nice stories about God’s love,

not the hard ones too,

insisting that God has different priorities

than one’s we’ve been living by as good Pharisees.

And those signs he did – healing the blind,

cleansing lepers, bringing dear Lazarus back from the grave...

Back from the grave... back from the grave! 

Oh, dear Lord, maybe it is true!

I guess it can only be one way or another:

either someone got past the guard, moved the huge stone

and stole his corpse –

in which case we should all go home and lock our doors and cry; --

or else the angel was right, he is free and alive again. 

Out of the tomb and looking for us,

for his friends, for you and for me.

That’s right, he’s on his way to Galilee!

I have to tell his disciples, the angel ordered us!    

     I guess I’ve gotten over my fear, talking to you – thank you. 

Thank you for listening to my tale. 

And now, will you help me tell the others, tell the world? 

The tomb was empty! God has changed everything.

Don’t be frightened any more.  We have all been set free.

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