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April 04, 2010

Empty but Full of Promise

Easter 4.04.10 Empty, but Full of Promise
Luke 24:1-12

I was very impressed during a discussion with a father who informed me that he is careful about the promises he makes to his daughter. Why? He doesn’t want to break his promise to her. In all fairness, things happen and not all promises can be kept. It is a fact of life. Promises are made and then often forgotten for a variety of circumstances.

It was called the Michigan Promise--scholarship money for students attending colleges in Michigan that received funding from the Michigan Lottery. The program was signed into law by the governor in 2006. In 2009, after some debate and positioning from various legislators, the Michigan promise ended up cut from the 2010 Michigan budget. This cut affected some 96,000 students, some who don’t have other resources to pull from to cover their college expenses. A promise…“How did this happen?”

This is a question I imagine the women were asking themselves as they arrive at the tomb that fateful day long ago. How did this happen?

Throughout Luke’s gospel, women have had an important role in the life of Jesus. We remember that it is in Luke’s gospel that we get to know Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin; and we are given the gift of the Magnificat. Luke introduces us to Mary and Martha, the two sisters, who host Jesus and his apostles. Jesus encourages Mary to listen and learn from him rather than keeping with the more traditional role of hosting and serving the men.

So in Jesus’ difficult last days, it is not too surprising that it is the women who remain faithful to Jesus, even when male disciples have betrayed, denied, and generally disappeared. In all fairness, we remember that in general women had little status, so they could hover and watch without the same level of threat for their lives. Still, it is a mournful business that they are left with, seeing to the proper care of his body.

Their distress is projected even further because the crucifixion happened just before a Sabbath, and they have to delay their ministries for an extra 24 hours—presumably an agonizing wait for them. Arriving at the tomb, things are not in order. The tomb is open, and the body is missing! More woe for these grieving servants.

But now the text gets interesting. Two visitors, clearly not of this world, present themselves to the women who drop to the ground in terror/reverence. They bring the message of the new age, only it is approached in a round-about way.
They ask the women, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? And if this mystifies the women, as it probably would, the angels continue, “He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.”

Luke’s account of the Easter story is very similar to the other gospels. The main difference is found here in the dialogue between the messengers and the women. The angels do not instruct the women to go find the disciples and tell them what has happened, as in John when Jesus says to Mary, “Go to my brothers…” In Matthew when the women are told “go quickly and tell the disciples.” In Mark the women are told “go, tell his disciples and Peter…”

The women are not simply reporters of what they have seen. The angels invite the women to recall what Jesus taught them. The women are invited to remember Jesus’ promise that he would rise from the dead. It is only after they remember Jesus’ promise that the women leave the empty tomb, full of hope and joy.

Who are these women? Were they privy to the promise? And are they able to relay that promise? Are they reliable witnesses? Obviously it is important that we know who these women are because the Gospel writer names them for us. Two of the women have been mentioned before in this Gospel, in chapter 8, verses 2 & 3.

The first one is Mary the Magdalene (Mary from Magdala, a fishing village in Galilee). This is the woman who Jesus healed by exorcising seven demons from her. The second woman, Joanna, is the wife of an official in the court of Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee. These earlier reference in Luke 8 to Mary Magdalene and Joanna indicate that these where women of some means, supporting Jesus and the disciples in the Galilee period. Their being listed among the group of women who went to attend to Jesus’ body that morning, indicate their persistent support of Jesus to the very end.

These women who followed Jesus from Galilee provide continuity from crucifixion, burial, preparation of spices, Sabbath rest, and visit to the tomb. They have been present with Jesus for a significant period of time. They have knowledge of and a relationship with Jesus to call upon at this crucial moment. They are not simply reporters. They are qualified and reliable witnesses, with a source of experience to draw on for their testimony.

The women entered an empty tomb, an empty time in their lives. They were reminded about their time with Jesus, his promise to rise from the dead, and they leave the tomb full of promise—His promise, not their own.

The reality of empty times comes to all our lives. We find ourselves in places and wonder, How did this happen? Divorce, loss of work, death of a loved one, problems with your child, remorse, depression, fear. When these empty times come what are we to do? We turn to God’s promises.

In 1979 Becky Bowman of Telford, PA gave birth to her fourth child, Glen, and quickly learned from doctors the frightening news: the baby had defective kidneys. The doctors ordered the child rushed to a children’s hospital in Philadelphia, where he would receive kidney dialysis.

Still hospitalized herself, Becky prayed and prayed for her son, and as she did she soon felt God’s nearness. The words of a Scripture text began to repeat in her heart: “this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God” (John 11:4). Becky wrote it down.
Later her husband called to report on the baby’s condition: “It’s too soon to tell if he’s going to make it,” he said. “He’ll going to make it,” Becky replied, and she read him the verse that God had breathed into her heart. “I believe those words,” she said.
Becky husband replied, “So do I, Becky…so do I.”

After three months of dialysis, Glen kidneys, though still not operating at 100 %, began to operate on their own. Throughout his childhood Glen took medication and tired easily. During that time Becky collected in her journal other Scriptures which encouraged her faith that her son would be all right.

When Glen was 13 years old, the doctors reported he would need a kidney transplant. Though unsettling at first, this news turned out to be the best thing that could have happened. Becky herself provided the kidney, and the operation was a complete success. Glen would be able to live a normal life.

Becky’s daughter suggested they do something special with the Scriptures that had meant so much to them during Glen’s long illness. Becky was a quilter and her daughter was skilled at cross-stitch, so they decided to make a quilt that displayed twelve of the cherished promises from the Bible.

Each Scripture was stitched onto white linen and bordered in a pattern of hunter green and burgundy. Three months later the quilt was complete and hung on the wall of their guest room. When others admired the quilt, it eventually was hung in their church as well as other churches in the area.

God’s promises made a great difference for Becky Bowman and her family. While times were hard, they lived with hope. When she chose to have these promises stitched onto a quilt, she made a fitting choice. As comforting as a is quilt on a cold wintry night, so God’s promises ward off soul-chilling fear. They warm the soul and ease the heart.

Have you experienced the promises of God? It may be a feeling you have that God wants to be a part of your life. Maybe God’s promises to you are coming in messages from friends who call to say they are thinking or praying for you. Maybe God speaks to you in your quiet times set aside for God. Maybe you have recently been reminded about God’s promises because you have children and you want to pass that knowledge and faith on to them. Maybe this morning you aren’t even concerned about God’s promises, but I assure you that they are there for you just the same.

Jesus’ promises to his followers are build on the promises of God, found throughout the lives of our ancestors and people of faith. They didn’t begin on Easter morning. They began before the events of this past week. They started beside a lake, in the synagogue, while being healed, on a hill top as thousands were fed, in a mother-in-law’s home, at a shared meal, when a baby is born.

God’s promises are universal and at the same time different for each of us. But at the core, God’s promise is that we don’t have to go it alone.

As a pastor, I am privileged to be invited into people’s lives. Orla was 100 years old, never married, and all her siblings all preceded her in death. She lived in a retirement home, and her mind was still sharp as a tack. During one of my visits, she shared the following with me.

“Jesus promised the disciples that he would return. He promised them he would never leave us. He promised to return again, and I believe he will, someday. I don’t know when and how, but he promised.”

Jesus’ promise was all she needed. Orla loved life. It was evident in her demeanor, her attitude, her bright blue eyes that still twinkled at 100 years old. Life was wonderful. And yet, she confided to her pastor, she was not afraid to die. As she joyfully talked of her faith, the promises of God brought great comfort to her. And her faith was a powerful witness to me, a young pastor at the time.

Wherever you find yourself this Easter Sunday, remember the promise of the resurrection. Victor Hugo put it this way, “The tomb is not a blind alley; it is a thoroughfare.” We do not always understand what is happening as we travel down this darkened corridor. As Christians, we can count on God’s promise that death and darkness are not the final word. God’s plan for our lives, for our world includes resurrection—new life. Look for them, expect them, and you too will experience the promises of God.

Posted by vickie at 10:00 AM