While It Was Still Dark
John 20:1-18
John’s gospel differs from the other gospel writers in its account of what happened Easter morning. It’s not unusual for different people to tell a story they have in common in different ways. The small details of who was there; were their angels and how were they dressed; and exactly what did people see and experience varied widely among the gospel writers and among the early Christian community.
The most vivid difference between John’s account and the others is that John asserts that Mary Magdalene came to the tomb “while it was still dark.” The other gospel writers mention that it was after sunrise that they went to the tomb. That is why some churches have sunrise services on Easter. John’s comment is such a little thing, we might miss it. I mean, a few minutes this way or that could determine whether one is in darkness or dawn. I think there is more to John’s telling of the story.
At the beginning of John’s gospel when Jesus is calling the disciples, he invites them to “come and see” (John 1:39, 46). In our text today the writer tells us that Mary “came” to the tomb and “saw” that the stone was rolled away. Later when Peter and the other disciple come to the tomb, they too seem to accept Jesus’ original invitation to “come and see.”
John’s gospel is the only one to talk about “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” We really don’t know who that disciple is. Some have assumed it was John. Other scholars believe Lazarus fits the description better, but John is the only gospel writer to use this phrase about one of the disciples.
As the story unfolds we discover just how difficult it was to “come and see.” After everyone leaves Mary lingers once more at the tomb alone and sees a vision of angels. Although her eyes are opened to “greater things” that Jesus had told her about, she still reveals how little of this experience is sinking in. She believes the body to be stolen and then she believes the vision of the resurrected Jesus to be the gardener.
It is only when Jesus calls her by name, “Mary” that the fog lifts. You may remember that John is the gospel writer who talked about the good shepherd who knows the sheep by name. (John 10) Jesus must remind Mary not to hold on to this experience but to go tell the others that the promise of new life has come. Mary and the other disciples are trying so hard to make these amazing spiritual experiences fit into some neat pre-conceived box – but, that could be why John noted that they came to the tomb “while it was still dark.”
I know that there is a part of most of us that thinks it would be wonderful if we could approach all of life with certainty. It would be less stressful on our nerves to know the outcome of an endeavor before we have begun. And yet in a very real sense, we approach the empty tomb today knowing that there is so much about life that still has us in the dark. There is so much about what God is about that puzzles and bewilders us. How do we make sense of children starving while armies fight over diamonds or doses of vaccine and medicine sitting on shelves while the poor become sicker or letting go of the darkness that hides our memories of shame or guilt while remembering we have been called to be children of light. Jesus invites us to come and see.
Today we receive our yearly Miracle Offering. You have in the newsletter the list of the projects this offering will support. Someone always asks why we do this every year. There are several reasons. One is that the Board decided several years ago that we must live within our means. If the Spirit moves us as a congregation to support something, we will make it happen. We will make ministry happen within the generosity or scarcity of resources. But the bigger reason why we do this kind of an offering periodically is because all of us continue to know what it is to live while it is still dark. We need reminders occasionally that something good still exists that is larger than my problems, more important than the U.S. economy, or more significant than the falling dollar. We need to experience again what happens in us when we see the power of God’s presence move among us. We always know that to attain our Miracle Offering goal requires us to depend on God’s grace. When we turn our dreams and hopes over to God’s grace, amazing things happen for our church and our world again, again and again. I see it in your faces every year when at the end of the service, we announce what the total is. There is joy and celebration and we remember that grace can overcome any obstacle.
In a moment you’ll have the opportunity to come as you feel led and place your offering in the basket in front of the altar. If you brought an offering for anything but Miracle Offering, make sure you put it in an envelope and designate where, otherwise everything received today will go towards the Miracle Offering. If you give by automatic deduction or electronic transfer, please feel free to come forward and touch the basket in blessing as well. And last but not least, if life has you in a particularly dark place right now and you feel you can’t give anything today, I want to ask you to still come forward and also touch the basket in blessing. It is through the blessing of all of us that the miracle continues to grow.
Once everyone has brought what they would like to give forward, we will ask God to bless our effort. Then the offering will be sent away for a count so that we might have a total by the end of worship today.
The invitation that Jesus posed to Mary and the other disciples during his life was “come and see.” Do you need to know that God’s presence is real and here and moving in this congregation? Come and see.
Sources:
http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/Mary_Magdalene_Dore.jpg
www.homileticsonline.com Being Jesus, March 2008.
