Matthew tells us about messengers from God, angels—if you will—twice in his gospel. First, an angel arrives in Joseph's dreams prior to Jesus' birth and several more times shortly thereafter. The angel tells him who Mary's child is. The angel tells him to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus to protect Jesus from being killed. Finally, the angel instructs him to return to Nazareth in Galilee.
Now the third day after Jesus' crucifixion dawns. Jesus lies in his tomb. Matthew tells us that Mary Magdalene and another Mary approach to see his tomb. Although Matthew doesn't tell us, we don't have much trouble imagining how they are feeling. Perhaps they walk slowly—for grief slows us down. Could they have been talking, as women often do, to give each other support? The light of dawn may still be dim and the sounds of the day just beginning.
And suddenly, says Matthew—SUDDENLY everything changes. Matthew tells us that one of those messengers of God—an angel—arrives, not in a dream this time, but dazzlingly bright, with lightning bolts shooting and the noise and shaking of a great earthquake. Suddenly, indeed, for the angel rolls back the stone from the entrance to the tomb—already empty—and sits on it. Make no mistake, Jesus has been raised by the power of God. And God’s power overwhelms the sealed tomb and the guards placed there by Pontius Pilate. Now, nothing can be the same—no one can be the same.
In modern athletic lingo we have the expression, “a game changer.” In fact, one such game changer in football even refers back to the Christian story—you know what I'm talking about? Yes, a “Hail, Mary” pass. For those early followers of Jesus and for us, these two angelic appearances in the gospel of Matthew, the only ones in Matthew, signal a “game changer:” first, incarnation and then, resurrection.
But the skeptic may say—well, even a faithful person may say—these parts of Jesus' story—and other parts of the gospel narrative—involving the supernatural provide difficulties for us, living as we do in an age of science and technology. How can something so momentous as the incarnation, or the resurrection, mostly be ignored by the general cultural record? And why are they recounted with such varying details in the four gospel accounts? What about resurrection is real? Why are we celebrating it over 2,000 years later?
Just as Jesus was a different sort of Messiah than most of the Jewish people longed for, both his birth and his resurrection are different sort of game changers than the ones we see and can point out, often before a game is over. What is real and what causes us to celebrate can only be described this way—after this nothing and no one can be the same again, because God acted to reconcile the whole broken world, including all our sinful humanity, to God's self.
In Matthew's account we can see the response of the two Marys change from apparently somber to fearful to being filled with joy and awe. We see them walking first and then running quickly. We see them initially unaware and then energized as apostles to the apostles—sent by their Lord and our Lord, sent by their Savior and our Savior—to tell how—not only the game—but the whole world, has changed: Jesus has been raised from the dead by God's power and will meet the apostles in Galilee where his ministry and their ministry with him began. In Galilee the brothers (and I'm sure some sisters, too) will experience the risen Christ and thus be changed as well, energized for mission to tell the gospel message throughout the whole world.
Will they told to work hard, because Christ will depend on them to be effective in their mission? No, they won't. How were they to cope with the enormous task of telling the world that Christ's resurrection had changed everything? Knowing that they might feel both fearful and overwhelmed, the risen Christ reassured them. When he met them in Galilee and sent them forth, he told them to remember that he always would be with them, for as long as it took.
A large parish in Florida began a mission, establishing a new church in a neighboring community. The rector explained his understanding of mission and evangelism this way: we can only reach one person at a time, but we must do so in great numbers. I am convinced that we can reach that one person and do so in great numbers only through the power of God. God's power acted on that third day to raise Jesus Christ from the dead. God's power can act in our lives—and the lives of all people—to lead us into new life—resurrected lives where we receive the power to practice the justice, mercy and love we saw in Jesus' ministry and teaching.
Today we have a visual symbol of the power of God that raised Jesus and can make us new people: the light of this tall Paschal candle. Its lighting at Easter, as well as its presence with us throughout the fifty days of Eastertide and at every baptism and burial rite, recalls for us the light of Jesus Christ, the Messiah of God.
The light of Christ came from God into our world through Jesus. The light of Christ in Jesus was raised from the dead through God's power. The light of Christ can transform all of us to be the people God has created us to be. Gaze on this light and be reminded of the two Marys at dawn on that first Easter morning. As they did, we can encounter the risen Christ and be transformed. The light of Christ within us will offer us the resurrection power we need to live faithfully, joyfully reaching out to others in Christ's name. Don't be afraid; don't be overwhelmed, for the light of Christ always will be with us, for as long as it takes!
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