While it was still dark. For a moment packed with such pent-up anticipation – this is the Easter Vigil after all – the start of today’s story is curious.
Jesus was dead, the disciples scattered. Perhaps, as it sometimes goes, they would be targeted next. By all accounts the Jesus movement of the previous three years was done. Oh, there’d been talk of brighter tomorrows, second comings, new life, after life possibilities. Bold claims of who this Jesus was had been made. Hope in those bold claims had begun to set in. Being only a few scant days after a parade complete with savior, donkey, palms, shouts of Hosanna the narrative had shifted significantly, and fast.
And now? The hopes and dreams of the people had been crushed. There was –
Fear,
Anxiety,
Uncertainty.
For while it was still dark it was difficult to see much of anything else.
And then, amid a different kind of silent night, someone stirred. Mary got up and went to visit the tomb. Her beloved Lord had been buried there. She wished to honor the dearly departed. When she arrived what she saw, or to be more precise didn’t see, startled her. So much so she ran to tell two friends.
While it was still dark the three raced back to the scene. The friends then saw, or didn’t see, the same thing. Where was the body? It was an unsolved mystery. Perhaps this was a crime scene, still fresh from theft. The only clue they had were the burial linens that lay crumpled on the ground. But who would steal a body devoid of clothes? Confused and overwhelmed, not knowing what to make of any of it, the two friends returned home.
While it was still dark Mary stood there, alone, outside the tomb. Her tears flowed freely. She had just wanted to pay her respects. Without the body present she couldn’t even do that.
Mary looked into the tomb once more. This time she saw two figures, dressed in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been. They asked her why do you cry? I am looking for someone, she told them. She just wanted to pay her respects.
While it was still dark Mary then turned and saw a man standing before her. At least that’s what she thought she saw. In the night, with few visual cues at her disposal, it’s difficult to know for certain what, or who, might be near. Mary, puzzled as to what exactly was going on, squinted, trying to make sense of the figure. It must be the gardener, she guessed. They must be here to tend the grounds.
Who are you looking for, the would-be gardener asked?
Mary wondered if this would-be gardener might have useful information to help crack her unsolved mystery. If you moved him, tell me where, she pleaded.
Mary almost seemed indignant.
The would-be gardener responded with but one word.
Mary!
In that moment her eyes and ears and mind and heart were all opened at once.
Rabbi! Mary replied. Teacher! With every fiber of her being she now knew who this mysterious figure was. She knew them well. Mary stood there, while it was still dark, moonstruck. She realized she spoke to none other than the risen Lord.
Mary had looked the would-be gardener in the eye, but didn’t recognize him.
She had heard the would-be gardener speak, but still couldn’t tell who it was.
It took the man calling out to her, by name, before she fully grasped his identity. Mary suddenly found herself alongside that which she had so desperately sought.
Now –
Things were different.
Hope had returned.
New possibilities bloomed.
Go, tell your friends, Jesus asks.
So Mary went.
Mary found them.
Mary announced, excitedly –
I have seen the Lord!
From there good news spread to the farthest reaches of the earth.
And all this good news began while it was still dark.
Now
Tonite we stand on the precipice of a grand celebration. Easter is a day marked by Christ’s victory over death and the grave, alongside shouts that Christ has risen, Christ has risen indeed. Alleluia! The festival is so central to our faith it informs both how we interpret all of scripture and how we live that scripture out. The implications of the resurrection, in no small way, define what it is to follow Christ.
Amid all this Good News, we often still find ourselves plodding through the daily difficulties of life. We still experience bouts of darkness more than we would like. Like Mary we too, find ourselves trying to find the light of the world. Because like Mary, we too, often find ourselves trying to find our way while it is still dark.
There’s an old saying that suggests nothing good happens after midnight. Parents like to use it, hoping to keep their young safe. It is more than an old wife’s tale tho, for it holds truth.
Very real risks happen while it is still dark –
Each much more common after the sun has gone down than during the day.
Add in the very real concerns of international conflict, political instability, and a global supply chain in crisis and the darkness can seem overwhelming.
In these times, please remember.
Like Mary, we too long to be known by God. We too want to be seen for who we are, deep down in our innermost being. We too want to be called by name.
We too are Mary. We are children of the most high.
Child of God, know this. You are seen. You are loved, nurtured, cared for. Despite the darkness that sometimes swirls around, you are never alone. For I walk with you, Christ reminds. Every step of the way. Amen.
