Trusting without Seeing
Mark 16:1-8
Rev. Dr. Mary Alice Mulligan
The oldest manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark abruptly end at what we have labeled the 8th verse of the 16th chapter, which is where we end the reading today. Apparently years later, editors added additional stories of encounters with the Resurrected Christ. But I like the ending Mark left us. The earliest versions leave us at the tomb without seeing Jesus. We only hear testimony from an angelic vision, saying Jesus has been raised from death. He is not here. A reality the early church knew all too well. His physical presence is no longer here. The tomb is empty. Mark reports, the women are terrified and amazed, so much so they are struck mute. The manuscript actually ends with the word “for.” Our translators put it “…for they were afraid,” but we could as accurately translate it with an incomplete ending: “They were afraid for,” as if the oldest manuscripts we have, were copied from a manuscript which someone didn’t finish or couldn’t decipher. Which reminds us how very fragile and tenuous our translations of scripture really are. So how can we believe what we read without being sure we have the real thing? How can we trust without seeing?
From the 16th chapter of the Gospel of Mark, listen for the word of God.
When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
The idea of resurrection is baffling. How are we supposed to understand the raising of Jesus? Many of us may not know how to respond to the news that God raised Jesus from stone, cold death. We have lived long enough to know about death, but resurrection? Baffling.
Sure Easter always draws us to worship. We know the story. We even join the Easter Proclamation: “Alleluia! Christ is Risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!” And if one of our non-Christian neighbors asks us what Easter is all about, we might say something like, “After Jesus was executed, his followers discovered his tomb was empty. He was alive. His followers experienced him alive among them.” We could say those things or something similar. But inside, my guess is, some of us are asking ourselves, “What really went on?” Some may have a solid belief in a sort of spiritual body resurrected; a body that reportedly could pass through walls and eat breakfast on the beach. But for some of us, the idea is confusing. Jesus was dead but suddenly he’s not? Which is one reason Mark’s ending is helpful. Perhaps like the women on that first Easter morning, we wonder if Jesus can really be alive just because some young man dressed in a white robe said so; or some woman dressed in a black robe. How can Jesus be alive, especially if we never get to see him? The women’s response of fleeing in amazement and terror, and not saying anything to anyone, might seem quite fitting. What are any of us supposed to believe when we don’t see a live body? Resurrection is a baffling concept for many of our 21st century minds.
So let’s just sit in worship for a while together. We came to church today so let’s just breathe in the experience of Easter worship together. Resurrection day worship has certain traditions which we anticipated when we walked in the door. No surprise there are lots of flowers. None of us will be shocked to sing “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” after the sermon. There is coffee hour but many of us are still planning to share a special meal later, gathering with family. It is Easter after all. We expected to hear, “Christ is risen,” at the beginning of worship; and many of us expected to respond, “The Lord is risen indeed!” We can depend on these traditions, which have been around for centuries, to help us celebrate Easter.
But more important than the traditions of Easter worship is what can happen within and among us. As we worship together, in this place or online, we can choose to open ourselves to God. In worship, we rightly admit there are holy experiences beyond our abilities to understand. We believe God is active in the world, maybe not moving us around like chess pieces, but stirring humans toward being our better selves. When we sit in worship on Easter morning, we may be able to relax enough to let ourselves experience the holiness of God surrounding us, even being breathed into our very being as we listen for God.
People can be converted in worship; they can find faith they never knew they wanted, never knew was possible. Suddenly God becomes real, or they sense the Spirit of Christ really is among us. People have been telling stories of their experiences connecting with God in worship for centuries. And even if it never happened to us personally, we can still believe that those people made a connection with something that is holy, and personal, and pouring out love. And if they made a connection with something holy and personal and pouring out love, then there must be something holy and personal and pouring out love just beyond our 5 senses to perceive. When we sit in worship together, open and willing, we might even sense the presence of the Risen Christ, whose Spirit moves among us all the time. We can trust our time sitting here, worshipping together.
Then we can respond. After we experience God, then we are ready to do something. It’s one of the terrific things about the yearly experience of Easter; every year our ability to trust without seeing is reconfirmed, strengthened. We can trust the presence of the Spirit of the Risen Christ to empower us to do whatever we are called to do. Unlike the women at the tomb, we don’t have an angelic directive for a specific task, but still Jesus goes ahead of us, calling us to join him. We are called to go. To love. To serve. So how do we follow him today then? Each of us can answer part of that for ourself. What might be a next step in developing a stronger God connection? Might it be Prayer? Volunteering? Tithing? Take time considering what is next.
Then as a congregation we have to listen to how God is calling us to serve together. Since we know the teachings of Jesus, we already know how to start. We follow the teachings, allowing the spiritual power of the Risen Christ to be our driving force. Every life-changing Christian project started with one person saying to another, “Do you think God is calling us to this idea? What would happen if we decided to try?”
Sometimes it’s not a huge project, but still important, like “How can we learn about buying some of the medical debt of people in Florida and freeing them from that burden?” But sometimes it is a huge undertaking, like opening a school, adult day care, microloan program. Some churches already have one of these because a little group caught the Spirit.
Whatever new arenas we decide to investigate, Easter helps us realize God’s goodness and power are being set loose in the world, through the resurrected Christ who will work through us if we are willing. So our little acts become bigger acts. In the last year, St. Andrew met the challenge to live within a balanced budget, (and importantly) without cutting mission giving. The lesson there is: we can accomplish what we imagine. Life-changing action is possible when simple Christians decide to let the resurrected Christ have his way with them. All over the world Jesus is empowering followers to heal desperate situations, to bring good news to the desolate, and to help people climb out of crushing circumstances. The Resurrected Christ fills us with power, if we are willing. Since in worship we have opened ourselves to his presence, we can trust amazing things to happen when we respond.
On this Easter Sunday, we remember the whole story – the horror of the Crucifixion and the amazing, terrifying possibility of the Resurrection. As unbelievable as raising Jesus from the tomb was, we nevertheless boldly claim: God is more powerful than death. Jesus is alive. Evil cannot win, because God’s power for setting things right is being set loose all over the face of Earth, even today. And we get to participate. The power of the Risen Christ fills us, as we follow his teachings, as we step out in courage to witness and serve in the name of Jesus.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!