Rev. George Miller
April 12, 2020
Mark 16:1-8a
Today we have Mark’s account of the Resurrection. It’s very short, does not feature Christ, and doesn’t end in shouts of Hallelujah!
Instead, it features three women running away in fear.
Modern scholars agree that this is the original ending to Mark’s Gospel; the additional verses were added centuries later.
People often wonder why Mark would tell his Easter story this way.
Why would he tell us that Christ has been raised, but not show us Christ?
First, some history- Mark was written during a time when his city was under attack, and lives were being destroyed.
People were afraid, surrounded by chaos and death. Life had been turned upside down and the Temple where they worshipped was no more.
It’s believed that Mark was telling the story of Jesus to empower his community, to show them how they can face their sufferings the way Jesus did.
If this is the case, perhaps Mark did not want to create a lavish technicolor telling of the Resurrection- perhaps he felt that it would ring false for people living in black and greys.
Perhaps Mark used the emotions his community were experiencing-
grief, alarm, and the need to prepare.
Mark ends with the women being afraid, but fear is not necessarily a terrible thing.
Often time we like to place a judgement on an emotion, label something good or bad.
But emotions are not bad or good, they are just…emotions.
Think of fear in its purest form- an intuitive gift.
In nature, fear is the awareness that something is not right or the sense that danger is nearby.
In this context, fear can keep us safe.
Fear keeps us from walking down a path we’re better off avoiding.
Fear keeps us away from those who intend to do us great harm.
In today’s pandemic, fear can be the very thing that makes you wash your hands, or resist group gatherings, thus keeping you safe.
Fear can also be a great fuel.
Here’s a secret you may not know- every actor, singer, musician, public speaker carries with them great fear right before they do whatever it is they do.
But they learn how to harness that fear, redirect it and shape it into their art.
Those who made strides for human rights have faced great fears.
The suffragettes of the 1800s, the Civil Rights of the 60’s, the teachers demonstrating last year- they all had moments of fear.
That’s the reason why they do what they do.
They take their woes of the present, couple it with their worries about tomorrow, and use that fear to advocate for change.
Think about all the people right now who are dealing with the Corona virus-
-the grocery store and fast food employees, medical staff, politicians, worship leaders, church administrators, pastors, and food pantry volunteers.
They are all afraid as well.
But they are learning how to harness that fear, and find ways to safely-
serve, care, feed, and calm.
And they do so by also caring for themselves.
So yes, today’s reading is short, and it focuses on fear, but it also does something beautiful-
it tells the women, it tells the disciples, it tells US, to go back to Galilee, where Christ will meet us.
Why Galilee?
Well, Galilee is where we first met Jesus in Mark’s Gospel.
Second, Galilee is where the women and disciples came from.
Galilee was their home turf.
Maybe, just maybe, what we are being told is this-
Do you want to see where the Resurrected Christ is?
Do you really want to know where the Resurrected Christ can be found?
Look in your homes.
Christ is in your homes, even if you don’t realize it.
The Resurrected Christ can be found at your dining room table, where you gather to eat, drink and share your meals.
The Resurrected Christ is in your living room, where you gather as one.
Christ is in your bedroom where you sleep, dream, where you make love, and where you rest when you don’t feel well.
Christ is in your yard, your garden, your birdfeeder, the sounds of bees that are collecting nectar.
Christ is in your pets, the way they love on you, depend on you, and the way they comfort you.
Christ is in your relationships. Your children, your spouse, the family and friends.
Christ is even in you.
In your hopes, your goals, your heart.
If we wish to find the Resurrected Christ, we don’t have to leave our home. We can look around, take notice, and see.
Perhaps today we can be mindful and grateful of the ways in which Christ’s grace and mercy dwells in our home.
For those whose homes are not a place of peace or comfort, we pray that Christ finds a way to bring the calm and safety you deserve.
For those currently in transition or without a home, we pray that Christ moves through this moment to bring you to a place in which you can comfortably rest your head.
When this pandemic ends, and we are free to leave our homes, may we give thanks for the shelter our homes provided, the space they gave, and the ways in which Christ was present.
As Psalm 23 states “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
May the Resurrected Lord dwell in your homes during this time.
May each and every one of us find ways to channel our fears,
turning them into testimonies of how life, and not death, will have the final say.
Amen and amen.
A UCC Pastor's walk through the spiritual waters of Scripture, pop culture and life.
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