"Why Do You Look for the Living Among the Dead?" An Easter Sermon - 4/20/25

Gospel: Luke 24:1-121 On the first day of the week, at early dawn, [the women] came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8 Then they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Dear siblings in Christ, grace and peace to you from our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. 
Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen Indeed, Alleluia! 
        Today, on this Easter Sunday, we hear the familiar story of Jesus’ resurrection, a version of which we hear every year. This year, we hear Luke’s version of the events of that first Easter morning. We can imagine the women making their way to the tomb where Jesus’ body had been laid but before they were journeying to the tomb to properly prepare Jesus’ body, they would have had to take time to prepare the spices and ointments they were bringing to the tomb which they could only do now on the third day since Jesus had died just before the Sabbath, and they weren’t permitted to do work such as preparing a body for it’s final resting place on the Sabbath. I would assume in those days when they could tell someone was nearing death, they could start making preparations even before the death occurred, but here these women, I doubt realized that before Jesus was arrested that he would be dying so soon, even though Jesus had made a habit of dropping hints that this is where he was being led to. 
       So these faithful women who were amongst Jesus’ inner circle, had not made any preparations to have what was needed on hand to prepare his body when he had died. They had been just as shocked and grieved by his public execution of the agonizing and humiliating death on the cross by the earthly powers that be with so many complicit bystanders either saying nothing or being among the crowds to shout “Crucify him!,” when Pilate gave them the chance to choose to let Jesus go. The Woman, these woman, who have been with Jesus for a while, who have helped to support his ministry in various and numerous unnamed ways, were the ones who stayed by the foot of the cross, watching Jesus’ final moments, where as most of the other named disciples had scattered and fled for fear of what could happen to them, these woman, bravely and courageously stayed and witnessed him cry out to God one last time and saw him take his last breath, and then saw were Joseph from Arimathea, had laid his body in an unused tomb nearby. 
       These women had witnessed all that Jesus had endured at the hands of the empire, the earthly tyrannical powers that be and how Jesus went through it all without resisting, because he knew some bigger secret that no one at that point could yet fully comprehend. That through his death on the cross, there is something new that is happening, something that God is doing for all people. But the woman did not know this yet. And so these women took the time to prepare the spices and ointments to bring to Jesus’ tomb. And we don’t know if they were preparing them in somber silence or perhaps they were finding comfort being with each other at this time while sharing memories and stories of their time with Jesus, much like how any of us do as we gather with others after a loved one's death. And perhaps as they journeyed toward the tomb they were still sharing stories, perhaps at times one of them expressing that they had forgotten one of those stories or one of his teachings that once it was brought back up then they had a chance to say “I remember that” and take solace in those memories. 
       And it is clear that on the first Easter morning, they were not expecting what they found once they arrived at the tomb. They were not expecting to find the stone already rolled away, and the tomb empty with the only the linen clothes that Jesus’ body had been wrapped in. “They were perplexed.” And then out of nowhere two dazzling angels  appeared among them and the women were terrified. But then they simply ask the women, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” And then also shared a memory of something Jesus once said, that the women apparently had forgotten, this being when Jesus spoke of how he would be killed and on the third day he would rise again. And then they remembered, as if this was just another of the stories they must of shared on their way to the tomb, they just needed the angels prodding to remind them of what Jesus had said to his inner circle about the fate he was going to face. And from there, these women became the first preachers of this Easter goodnews that he has risen, that Jesus lives, that death no longer has the final say.  
       And yet these women, the first preachers of the resurrection, when they share this good news with the disciples and the others they were not believed. The disciples doubted, writing off the women's news as an idle and outrageous story, but yet something compelled Peter to get up and go see for himself. He went to the tomb, and we don’t know if he was expecting the woman’s story to be false or if he trusted them but just wanted that little kernel of proof of the resurrection hope to hold onto, and when he saw the empty tomb for himself he was amazed and was probably left wondering, if Jesus was risen, where is he, why hasn’t he shown himself yet? And I’m not going to lie, part of me wished that the angels had reappeared to Peter to tell him off for not fully believing the women’s word from the start or to also ask him that question of “why are you looking for the living among the dead?” and to remind him of all that Jesus had once said about his resurrection. 
       This story, the Easter story, no matter which gospel version you read, is full of doubt and faith, remembrances and questions, and in a way defiance and resistance in the face of the earthly powers and empires that be, and that is all a part of the profound joy of Easter, that even in the midst of the doubt that we all may carry from time to time, that Jesus still does what Jesus does, that he still has risen and he’s no longer among the dead, like we confess every Sunday in the Apostle’s Creed, that “he descended to the dead and on the third day he rose again,” He is again among the living. Who knows if this is living in which the angels spoke of is about the earthly realm of living or the eternal realm of living or maybe both? But it has me thinking about what else in our lives and in the world do we get stuck looking for the living amongst the dead? What else might we have to be reminded of to be aware of when something is dead and no longer serves us in life giving ways, or to be made aware when something might need a bit of this mysterious Easter transformation and renewal? This question, “why do you look for the living among the dead?” is a good reminder that often within our own lives, or in our congregational ministries, or even within our worldly governing entities, at times, probably more often then we’d like to admit, that we are doing the wrong things, that we are doing things that aren’t lifegiving, that we often get stuck perpetuating the death dealing forces of this world instead of finding and fostering the life-giving forces that are life giving for all people and not just a select few. We too often get stuck focused on the things that aren’t aligned with the Easter promise of the renewal and righting of all of creation that has begun through Jesus’ resurrection and defeat over death. 
       “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” reminds to live as the resurrection people we are called to be through our faith in Jesus, to promote not death but instead to promote life and the transformation and renewal of all of creation, to be co-creators with God in making the new creation where all can truly live, thrive, and live together with one another and all of creation as God had initially intended. And the question “why do you look for the living among the dead?” helps to remind us, just as those angels did, to focus, promote, and look for what is life giving in the face of all of the death dealing powers and empires of our current earthly realities. And this reminder helps to push us out into the world to remind others to do similarly instead of responding to our world out of fear or being locked away because of it, like the disciples seemed to be hidden away for fear of what could happen to them after Jesus had been publicly crucified. But instead this reminder that the women shared with them, though they didn’t believe it at first, is just the beginning of urging them out to start sharing this good news of Jesus’ resurrection and the truth that his divine love is stronger than death.  
       The empire tried to remove and utterly erasure Jesus and all he stood for through the humiliation that was his crucifixion, because death on the cross was something so shameful, that when one was put to death in this way, utterly naked for all to see, just hanging there being being open to all the ridicule that those passing by would spit in their face, it was considered a shameful act to associate with and remember anyone who was killed in this way. But yet, despite this, and through the angels urging, the women defied the empire and remembered Jesus all that he said and taught and helped the others to remember as well, they helped them to look those death dealing forces of the empire in its face and boldly proclaim the risen Jesus and from there the power and humiliation of the cross began to lose its sting as Jesus’ story and teachings began to spread throughout the land. 
       And in today’s world, it isn’t hard to look around and see so many of these death dealing forces running rampant within the current empires of our world. These death dealing forces including that of uncontrolled hatred, bigotry, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableist thinking, and violence against those considered “other” in any way, as well as state sanctioned violence like that of disappearing people without due process, or enabling wars and genocidal agendas, and just finding a way to continue to scapegoat any group that is looked down upon for whatever reason. And due to the fact that it really is not hard to look around and see examples of any of these death dealing forces in our world today, we find ourselves yearning for this Easter hope of the resurrection that we and our world too will be changed into something that is no longer among the dead but is among the living. We trust in the hope of the resurrection that through Jesus, we do not have to fear our earthly deaths, that we know his life giving act of his death and resurrection that he has opened to us a way to eternal life for all people, no if’s and’s or but’s, because through this act, God has not only forgiven all people’s sin, no matter how great or small our sin may be, and ultimately Jesus’ death and resurrection is not about the exchange of our victimhood to sin, but instead is the path to ending the innocent bloodshed by the death-dealing forces of our earthly world leading us to life-giving living for all people. 
       This question, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” can lead us to and in a way might require us to get used to change, transformation, and renewal as we start to see things in a new light, being able to recognize things for what they are, either life-giving or death-dealing, while we are reminded to remember that Jesus is no longer among the dead, for he is risen. And this risen Jesus has a way to confront the false comforts of memories used in such a way to keep us sedated or stuck in despair for what has happened in the past. For our memories of our histoires are meant to empower us as part of God’s new creation, not petrify it. For Easter is just the beginning, and God’s grace and love continue to break into our world, working to break open our hearts that have at times settled into stony resignation in the face of the death dealing forces of our world and reminds us to ask again: “why do we look for the living among the dead?” and can lead us to also ponder the following questions: What if we were able to hope again in the face of all that is wrong in the world? What does it mean for us that God’s forgiveness is real? And what does it mean to live - not shut inside the tombs of all the things we cannot change but instead to be alive in a world that can and will change? 
       And here is the goodnews that we each can carry with us throughout the Easter season and beyond that: “For those of us who despair that death-dealing powers have the upper hand - fear not! Easter means God ultimately is and will be victorious over the powers of death. For those who despair that our guilt is too great for God to forgive - fear not! Easter means God has cleared all accounts, liberating humanity from shame, reconciling us to God and each other as God’s beloved children. For those who despair in the midst of pain and anguish - take heart! You are not alone: Jesus suffers with you in solidarity and companionship, and Easter means you will also rise with him. For those who despair over a world so filled with hate, violence, and scapegoating - be encouraged! In Christ’s passion, God has taken the place of the scapegoat in order to expose humanity’s violent ways - and Easter means God one day will overcome all violence and contempt. Indeed, Easter means that God has taken one of the worst things in the world (the Roman cross) and remade it into one of the best (the Tree of Life), a sword into a ploughshare - and if God will remake the worst things in our world, then God also will remake the whole creation in the end! Like the cross, the empty tomb is a great divine mystery, a rising sun dispelling shadows in multiple directions. It’s only a beginning, but the tide has decisively turned, the dawn [through Jesus’ resurrection] has come" (from Salt's Commentary for Easter Sunday). And the celebration that is Easter Sunday, with the fanfare of music and all the lilies is a signal not of a final victory, but a signal of a commencement, a launch, a kick off, to lead all of us as Jesus followers out into the world to stand in the face of the death dealing forces of our world and point to the life-giving force that is Jesus, remembering how the women on that first Easter morning did, while continuing to share and show his and God’s love to all people along our journey through our earthly lives. Amen.
Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Christ has risen indeed! Alleluia!
-- Written and Preached by Pastor Tamara Siburg

If you wish to listen to the sermon, the gospel reading starts at 59:38 and the sermon starts at 1:01:06.