Come and See, Go and Tell! – April 9, 2023, Easter Sunday
Isaiah 12:2-6, Matthew 28:1-10
April 9, 2023, Easter Sunday
It is Easter Day! This is the celebration of our Lord’s Resurrection. As you’ve heard me say before, this is an event that was celebrated every week in the early church. It’s the reason the Sabbath was changed from the last day of the week – when God rested in creation – to the first day – when Jesus was raised from the dead!
It wasn’t until the church became more “established” in the fourth century that the liturgical calendar was established. That’s when Easter was set as a once a year celebration, with Lent preceding it, and all the other days throughout the year that celebrated the life and ministry of Jesus.
By the way, that’s also when they set the date of Easter as “the first Sunday, after the first full moon, after the vernal (Spring) equinox!” As you probably also know by now, that’s one thing I wish we could change! As far as I’m concerned, Easter should always be the time every year – the Second Sunday in April. And I’m happy, because that’s when we’re celebrating it today!
Isn’t that much easier to remember? And wouldn’t it be easier to say to someone if they asked you when Easter was? “It’s the Second Sunday in April.” Or would you rather say, “The first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox? And we wouldn’t have to be concerned each year if we’re going to have an “Early Easter” or a “Late Easter.”
And just so you know! There has been an ongoing debate about the date for Easter for as long as there has been a date for Easter. It has popped up every once in a while throughout history! It was controversial when they set it, and it’s been debated ever since.
But I digress… Easter is here! And it is the Second Sunday or April! And whenever it happens to fall, it is the great celebration of the Christian church! And more than that, it is the central celebration. It is the central fact in our faith.
The truth about many things in our faith have been debated over the years. The Creation, the Virgin birth, the miracles of Jesus – things like that. And in fact, even the truth about the Resurrection has been debated. But none of the other debates in our faith have the impact this one has been given! Paul told the Corinthians, “If Christ has not been raised then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain.” (I Cor. 15:14) Simply put, if there is no Resurrection, there is no Christianity as we know it. And billions of people, for thousands of years, have been deceived!
That’s the importance of what we celebrate today! Because the Christian faith is more than just about following the good teachings of a great man. If you think about it, there have been many good teachings of great men and women throughout the ages. (Though I believe Jesus is the greatest!) But it is the atonement of Jesus Christ that sets him apart from all the rest! It is our redemption through Jesus that makes us Christians! And his Resurrection is central to that redemption!
As I’ve said before, the cross wasn’t seen as the main symbol of Christianity for the first several hundred years. (I didn’t know that until I read an article about it a few years ago!) The cross wasn’t seen very much in the art and architecture of the early Church. The central symbol of the faith for those first centuries was the empty tomb! Yes, the Crucifixion was important. But it was the Resurrection that was the most important! And that’s what we celebrate today! The great victory of God over sin and death!
I read today from Saint Matthew’s account of that great event. And as I read this again this week, I was drawn to these two phrases. “Come and See” and “Go and Tell.” If you remember, the first reaction to the Resurrection was skepticism! On that first Easter morning, disbelief ruled the day! In Luke’s Gospel, the women came from the tomb saying that they had seen a vision of angels who said Jesus was alive! And what does Luke tell us was the disciples reaction? “Their words seemed to them an idle tale, and they would not believe them.” (Luke 24:11)
So what was the compelling argument, what was the “proof” that was used to try to convince those who wouldn’t believe? “Come and see!” In John’s Gospel, Peter and John ran to the tomb to see if what the women was saying was true. And when they saw, they believed! Even Jesus used that approach. He told Thomas, “Come! See my hands! Reach out and touch them!”
We need to remember all of that. As we all know, disbelief is no stranger to any of us! We all doubt from time to time. And we don’t have the advantage they had of actually seeing. So we too have our times when we doubt the resurrection – and for many reasons! We think, “It’s not possible for a man to come back from the dead.” Or, “It sounds too good to be true!” Or perhaps the hardest one, “My sins are too real to me that I doubt God’s power to forgive them – no matter what Jesus did!” And that doubt comes from the fact that we have a hard time removing the “feeling” of guilt about our sins. And we let our feelings get in the way of believing the Resurrection. (Feelings will betray us every time!)
So, we need to revisit this event, again and again – year after year! We need to go back and “hear the old, old story,” as the old hymn goes, and we need to remember that it’s real. We need to remember how even those who first experienced this had to be convinced. They had to see! And they did! And they told us. They were our “eyewitnesses.” We need to remember that if we disbelieve, we’re in good company! And we need to “come and see.”
Then of course, “Come and see” leads us to “Go and tell.” And that can be a hard part, too. As we’ve said before, in Mark’s Gospel, the Easter story ends with the women at the tomb “telling no one, because they were afraid.” And that’s often the reason we tell no one, isn’t it? We’re afraid. We’re afraid of what people will think of us. Or, like the Luke account, we’re afraid people will think what we say is an “idle tale” and they won’t believe us.
But of course, eventually the women did tell someone, or we wouldn’t have their story, would we? But it doesn’t mean they weren’t still afraid. It doesn’t mean there wasn’t fear along with the wonderment. Here in Matthew it says, “They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy!”
I hope, eventually, we tell, too. And Easter is a great time for that. I was thinking that there isn’t nearly the same hype and distraction of a commercial celebration at Easter as there is at Christmas time. Oh yeah, they try. There are bunnies and eggs and spring flowers and stuff like that. And that’s fine. But the actual event is not nearly as overshadowed as is Christmas. (You don’t see bumper stickers that say, “Keep Christ in Easter!”)
So think about ways you can “go and tell.” Maybe share, in conversations with others, your Easter plans. Tell what you’re doing for your Easter celebration. Ask what they’re doing for Easter. Share that you were part of Easter worship. Talk about the renewal of nature in the Springtime and how it coincides with the renewal of life in Easter. Maybe mention how Holy Week and Passover coincide this year, whereas they don’t always do that. Maybe talk about how amazing it is that we still celebrate something that happened two thousand years ago!
Those are all good starting points in sharing with others that you are “Easter People.” For that you are! You may wear a cross, but you are people of the “Empty Tomb!”
So, have a joyous Easter day and a blessed Easter season! Know the joy and wonderment, no matter how much fear there may be. And know that “The Lord is our strength and our song, and he has become our salvation!”
Prayer
Eternal God, we thank you for all you have done through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Take all doubts from our minds, and help us to know – and to share – the joy of this Easter Day, and the abundance of this life you have given us. For we pray in the name of our Risen Lord, Amen!