The Cathedral Church of the Nativity,
Bethlehem, Pa
Easter Sunday 2015
The Very Rev. Anthony R. Pompa
Mark 16:1-8 “Somewhere between amazed and
terrified”
Where is the Easter Bunny having Brunch this morning? IHOP
What Kind of music do bunnies listen to? Hip Hop
What do you get when you pour hot water down a the Easter bunnies Hole?
Hot Cross Bunny!
Why did the Easter Bunny cross the road?
It was the chicken’s day off.
Why was the Farmer covered with Chicks on Easter Morning?
Chick Magnet
A Sunday School teacher working one morning with her class asked the children, “Why do we remain quiet when we enter church”?
One child replied, “because everybody is sleeping”
On Palm Sunday, a little boy stayed home from Church because he had a little fever. His older siblings came home from church having scored a large fan of Palm from the Altar Guild directress. The little boy asked what that was for and his older sibling explained, “everyone waved these as Jesus walked by”
The little boy stomped off in a huff saying: “It just figures! The one day I take off Jesus actually shows!”
On a busy Easter weekend, a Dad hurried his little boy along on errands which included shopping for all the goodies for the Family Easter Brunch and annual Easter egg hung. After a full day of shopping, the Dad ran himself and the boy to the Barber for a quick Easter cut. The Barber said the little boy, Tony, I bet you are all excited for Easter are you? Whose coming to your house on Easter with candy , floppy ears, and that twitchy nose? The little boy looked up and said, “Uncle Brian”.
Finally, Easter weekend, a mom and Dad were trying hard to keep their little girl from getting into the Easter candy early! First the Dad thought about putting the fear of God in her, “If you eat that candy before Easter day…..well …..you don’t even want to see what will happen”. Being experts at the “Good cop, Bad cop” approach, the mom said “well, if you manage to stay out of that candy until Easter, I’ll take you to the most amazing movie you have ever seen!”
So there it was……temptation of candy abounded, as did the fear of wondering what Dad was speaking about…….and yet there was that promise of amazement from mom.
Well, Easter weekend came and little Rebekkah, had done pretty well, so after a full day of chores, mom put her in the car and planned to reward her by ending up at the movie theatre. Little Rebekkah fell asleep in the backseat of the car and mom realized she needed to stop by the church on the way to the movies to pick up some linens she promised to wash for Easter morning.
They arrived at church and given it was Easter Saturday, many were about in the Church, preparing the flowers, practicing music, and making Easter confessions at the confessionals Little Rebekkah woke up and still a little groggy she entered into the church and her little eyes grew wider and wider with excitement and Amazement!
“MOM she shouted!! This MUSt be the most amazing movie ever! Look at all those people lined up at the ticket booth!.
You know we tell jokes on Easter day, borrowing a bit of the Easter Orthodox tradition of telling jokes on Easter, because on this celebration of our Lord’s rising from the absurdities and indignities of Good Friday, God has the last laugh this Easter day! For Christ is risen! OUR LORD is risen indeed! God’s dream for God’s creation lives new and eternally!
Yet, even as we find laughter together this Easter morn, as we turn to Mark’s version of our Easter story, we may find ourselves perhaps with a feeling of discomfort and uncertainty. For Mark’s Gospel lacks such affirming and directive “appearances” of the risen Jesus found in the other Gospel accounts of Easter. Biblical scholar Mark Long writes, “Easter is supposed to have postresurrection appearances: Joyful seaside meals, scenes of reconciliation, garden embraces of the risen Lord and the disciples excited shout “He is risen!”” Instead Mark leaves us with the first responders at an empty tomb struck silent. Confronted with the alarming engagement with a young man dressed in white robe, proclaiming to them, “He is risen” Go tell the disciples and Peter to meet him in Galilee. Their response: Silence, Mark tells us, “for terror and Amazement” has seized them and they were afraid. As Mark Long says, “That’s no way to run a resurrection”! Like the little girl in our Easter Joke- we find ourselves immersed in the tension that is found between Terror and Amazement.
But perhaps that is the power of Mark’s Gospel for us. That is that in the tension between “terror and amazement” that often exists in our encounter with God; there seems to exist a “space” or “even womb” that I submit to you is where creativity and courage are born. That place where even in the midst of fear; we are vulnerable enough to take a risk, and open enough to whatever God may have us to risk. The young man in the white robe tells the woman who are first responders at the tomb that day, that “he is risen” and that they should tell the disciples to meet him in Gaililee---the place where it all began, the place where Jesus called his disciples, announced the Kingdom of God, and dared them to “follow him” as fellow proclaimers. Mark it seems intentionally leaves us “dangling”. Leaves us with the question……..Will they tell? Will all who embrace this miraculous and provocative experience of a risen Jesus discover the creativity and courage found in the tension that exists between terror and amazement? Will the disciples meet Jesus in Galilee? Or maybe more importantly- Will we?
The message from Jesus: Meet me in Gaililee where it all began. Meet me again and again in this Kingdom work. Meet me with the best of who you are discovered when you dare to listen to your heart’s quickening in the space between terror and Amazement. Meet me the risen Jesus begs.
Meet me in poetry that expresses beauty and delight. Meet me in the artist’s stroke that paints pictures of comfort and love, majesty and mystery. Meet me in notes of music that lifts lover’s hearts and joins the human spirit in unity. Meet me in acts of compassion and mercy; in parish halls with the hungry and homeless. Meet me in courage on a bridge in Selma or vulnerable on a hotel balcony in Memphis. Meet me in dignity and respect for everyone and ALL. Meet me in kindness and love for ourselves and for our neighbors. Jesus says……Meet where it all began. Where it all begins again and again.
The legendary comedian George Burns on the subject of sermons said “The key to a good sermon is to have a strong beginning and a strong end. And to have the two as close together as possible.
So with respect to our Lord and even this day to Mr. Burns.
Knock Knock: Whose there? H? H Who?- God Bless you! May God Bless you this Easter Day and everyday. Shall we meet our Risen Lord in Gaililee?
Alleluia Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen indeed Alleluia
