Easter Sunday Homily 2017 "He is not Here"

“He is not Here” Easter Sunday, April 16

“Where have you put him?” Mary Magdalene asked this question Easter Sunday morning of everyone she met. The body of Jesus had to be, somewhere didn’t it? Usually, dead bodies do not disappear, but they remain buried.

One of the seven wonders of the world are the pyramids in Egypt. The giant structures rise out of the desert towering over everything. Engineers speculate how they were made since there were no cranes to lift the bricks and stones into place. We may forget why they were constructed. The pyramids were erected as a resting place for the mummified bodies of the pharaohs. All the world knows where to find these ancient rulers. Many go to see the bodies.

Thousands of people also pour through the doors of the Westminster Cathedral in England. Tourists come to see not only the building, but to see the markers in the floor for the famous people buried there, rulers like Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria. Also, there are writers buried there like Shakespeare, Tennyson and Dickens. Finally, there are politicians like Neville Chamberlain. Westminster Cathedral, then, is another destination where people go to visit the bodies of the dead.

In all the world, there is one unique place where a tomb is visited for a different reason than honoring the dead. When one goes to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher you bow down to go into a little building over the tomb. Inscribed on one place on the wall are the words, “He is risen. He is not here.” The tomb is empty. The fact is centerpiece of our Christian faith.

What is the proof of the resurrection? The first proof we could point to are the words of Jesus that we have in the Gospel. He told his Apostles that he would rise again on the third day several times before his death. The disciples knew what they were to expect.

Another proof is the absence of a body. Surely, we surmise if the Jewish authorities wanted to squelch the rumors of the resurrection they would have produced the remains of Jesus. A cohort of soldiers stood around the tomb guarding it on Good Friday night and Saturday, but Jesus was not in the tomb when they looked on Sunday.

A further proof of the resurrection is the preaching of the Apostles. We think about how timid the disciples of Jesus were as he lived on the earth. We remember how most ran away from him in his hour of need on Good Friday. But low and behold after Pentecost the disciples of Jesus were eloquent in their presentation of the faith. The ill-educated followers of Jesus became fearless in their witness.

We recall further as we think about why we believe in the resurrection how many people were martyred for the faith. Would a man or woman give up their very life for a lie. No, their willingness to die spoke of their belief that their physical death would not be the end, but would only lead to more life.

Finally, we believe in the resurrection of the Jesus because the church exists today. The church started with motely band of Christians, has survived 2,000 years. As we add to the church each year with the baptism of new believers this is proof that Jesus is alive.

What can the Jesus’ Resurrection mean for us right here right now? Do we have to wait for its effects until we die? No, the Resurrection means more than simply life after death. Author Victor Frankl was a concentration camp survivor. He watched many people in a host of circumstances. He wondered what allowed some people to maintain their composure while a lot of people behaved in the most selfish ways as they looked death in the face. He was talking to a woman one day who sat serenely by the window as many died all around her. Frankl asked the woman how she could be calm.

She pointed through the window of the hut she was in. She said, “This tree here is the only friend I have in my loneliness ….I often talk to it. Frankl asked if the tree replied. She answered, “It said to me, I am here- I am here- I am life, eternal life.”

We live in a world where death surrounds us. The Korean Peninsula is very much on our mind today. What will happen there? In Syria, we see the images of innocent people being gassed. We observe others dying in the ocean as they swim for freedom. Racial tensions are all around us. Our country is so polarized we find it hard to talk to old friends who espouse different politics than us. Hatred is spewed in the media continuously. Why do we have hope? Because of the resurrection. “He is not here. He is risen.”

Someone once pointed out. We need to remember Easter as we live our Good Fridays. As someone else said, “Mary went to the tomb looking for the body of the one she loved. What she found was something far more wonderful.” When she met Jesus his first words to her were, “Do not cry.” His words are the same to us. Do not despair. “I am here. I have risen. And so will you.”