Year C Easter Morning 2025 Goodness, Love, Light, and Life

 Year C Easter Morning, 20 April 2025

St James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Goodness, Love, Light, & Life”

Collect: Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

John 20:1-18

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, `I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Good morning, Church Family! The Lord is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed!

This is Easter morning, and we have so much to be thankful for. We have been given another day to love and serve the Lord. The sun is shining. The day is glorious. And we gather together to celebrate the crux of our faith, that Jesus Christ is Risen. Just as he promised. Just as the prophets foretold. Just as it was established from the beginning of time. Hallelujah!

The gift of the Resurrection reminds of four key things, things that we so often need to reminded of, especially when times are dark and division is rampant. Hold onto these:

The First Lesson of the Resurrection: Goodness is stronger than Evil.

Jesus repeatedly showed Goodness. When the self-righteous leaders were ready to stone the woman caught in adultery, Jesus showed her Grace. When the disciples cut off the Chief Priest’s servant’s ear, Jesus ordered them to stop and he healed him, even in the midst of his own arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. When the disciples were too busy to be bothered with them, Jesus let the little children come unto him. When the hated tax collector Zaccheus was up a tree to just catch a glimpse of Jesus and avoid those who despised him, Jesus made a grand production of saying he sided with Zaccheus and went into his home and supped with him. Repeatedly, throughout his life, Jesus showed that Goodness was the way to go.

In the resurrection, good conquers evil. While evil may be the easy road, and the way to quick wins, some battles may be lost, but the war will be won by Goodness. Blood, toil, sweat, and tears, all will be shed. That is the nature of war. But Goodness will win out. 

I was deeply moved the other day when I saw a video. In a town in Mexico, Monclova, there was a re-enactment of the Way of the Cross back in 2018. There was an actor portraying Jesus, and there were actors playing soldiers pretending to whip him along the Via Dolorosa, Jesus’ Way of Suffering. A young man with Down’s Syndrome named Juan Pablo saw the spectacle and ran out and protected Jesus. The soldier actors did not know what to do. The Jesus actor kept carrying his cross. And the young man, the good young man modeled for everyone the true nature of Christianity that Goodness is stronger than Evil. Even in pretending, Juan Pablo knew what was right and what was wrong. He may not have understood that it was make-believe, but he knew he could make a difference. (Source)

It is a lesson for us all. When in doubt choose the good. When you see those in need, side with them. Jesus always did. Goodness is stronger than Evil.

The Second Lesson is Love is stronger than Hate.

That may seem simplistic. But hate is so sneaky. It creeps into our heart imperceptibly at times. It was as true back in Jesus’ day as it is today. It comes out in so many ways. Many of them are unconscious, rooted so deeply from our raising and experience. 

And sometimes it is more obvious. We are unabashed in what we hate. And like a bad apple, it can spoil the whole barrel. Letting hate in can ruin our heart, mind, and soul. Like when we char the dinner when cooking, it pervades throughout and it cannot go away.

So often Jesus confronted hate. The hate of the religious leaders, the Scribes and Pharisees, who made walls to keep people out, so their purity as they understood it would not be tainted. They made an idol of their righteousness and they missed the boat. Over and over again, trying to trick Jesus with gotcha questions to make him look bad. Their contempt for him is obvious, and their justification of their contempt they saw as a religious duty. If asked if they hated, most might be surprised by the question. It does not make it less true. 

And Jesus was expected to hate. The longstanding blood feud between the Jewish folks that had been taken off to Babylon in the Captivity (approximately 597 BCE to 538 BCE) and the remaining Samaritans that had intermarried and maintained the old religious practices was assumed of all the Jewish people. The woman at the well in Samaria was surprised when Jesus talked with her, and even more so when he asked her for water. But in her shame, he showed her Love when she expected Hate. And through that, she and many in her town came to faith, like a spring that never stopped flowing with living water. Love has a way of doing that, breaking down dams of isolation and resentment built up and calcified over so long.

And even on the Cross, when people had mocked him and scorned him, had beaten, flogged, and nailed him to a cross, Jesus prayed for their forgiveness. “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Love is stronger than Hate.

And the Hate that nailed Jesus to the Cross was defeated in his Resurrection. He had the scars in his hands and feet and the hole in his side, but his Love brought him back. Love conquers all.

The Third Lesson is Light is stronger than Darkness.

Many times some of you have heard me speak about my younger days when I had a better back and better knees and would go spelunking down into caves. You don’t know dark until you are meters and meters underground. Absolute black.

But when you experience darkness, true, black, and deep darkness there is something surprising about light. Even the faintest light has a way of spreading. Often I had to tell people to not just turn off their flashlights, but to cover their watches. Even that faint glow could ruin the experience for everyone. 

You might remember when you were a child perhaps, and you were snuggled in your bed before the world awoke, and then slowly the hue softened and the first rays broke through. Maybe it was a crack under the door, or a slit in the curtains, but a beam breaks through and it does not stay a single beam, it refracts and broadens. It stretches out and fills the room. It may be a soft glow, but what was impossible to see can be seen. What was imperceptible slowly becomes colors. A single beam becomes a hope and reminder that all will be okay.

The Resurrection is that single beam, the Resurrection brings us hope. In the 2,000 years since the empty tomb there have been many dark days, many of them caused by those who claim to be followers of this simple rabbi from Nazareth like we are. But even then, EVEN THEN, the Resurrection shone forth in the darkness, even darkness that was self-imposed. Thanks be to God! Christ’s light is stronger than any darkness. 

The fourth and final lesson is that Life is stronger than death.

The other morning I had the joy of taking Stephanie out to breakfast. A rare treat. We went to Cafe 54 here in town for the first time. And as we were sitting there watching the sun rise over the tracks I noticed in the newly bricked outdoor area, between the pavers, a few plants were coming through the cracks. While many may think that some herbicide is what is needed, I was reminded of a line from Jurassic Park, “Life finds a way.” The little weeds, whatever they were, took root and squeezed their way into existence. They could not help it. Life finds a way.

In the Resurrection, the author of Life boldly declares, “My Life will always find a way.” All these themes, Goodness, Love, Light, and Life were part of an early hymn of the Church which John used to open his Gospel account. Over the decades between the Resurrection and the writing of the fourth Gospel people had had time to ponder and reflect on Jesus’ teachings, both spoken and experienced, and they declared this truth.

In the beginning was the Word, 

and the Word was with God, 

and the Word was fully God.

The Word was with God in the beginning. 

All things were created by him, 

and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 

In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. 

And the light shines on in the darkness, 

but the darkness has not mastered it.  [John 1:1-5, New English Translation]

I have heard it shared as a motivation for people, “What would you do if you knew you could not lose?” We might make bold choices our need for safety or our timidity might preclude. But what of Jesus? We cannot know the nature of what Jesus knew and did not know. None of the Gospels were written by him. The inner monologue is lost. But he prophesied that he would be crucified and would return, more than once. And though he said on the Cross, “My God, my God, why have your forsaken me?”, the opening verse of Psalm 22, if you continue reading that Psalm it speaks to God’s triumph and how the Victory will be won. 

To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;

    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,

    and I shall live for him.

Posterity will serve him;

    future generations will be told about the Lord

and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,

    saying that he has done it.

Were these the final thoughts, the final prayer of Jesus on the cross before he declared, “It is finished!”? We have no way of knowing, but I like to think so. I like to think he modeled the faith he calls us to, to die to self and to live for him. This morning we are reminded of so much, and I will share where I got my lessons from the Resurrection. Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote a prayer for his An African Prayer Book.

This man who modeled a different path when most of the world expected a bloodbath in the post-Apartheid South Africa. This fellow Anglican archbishop showed the world a middle way, a via media, between two entrenched sides. This man, who in the name of Jesus Christ, led his government for an unbelievable season in a policy of forgiveness, truth, and reconciliation through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He modeled what he prays. He modeled what Jesus showed us in his life, in his death, and in his resurrection. May we model it in our lives as well. His prayer: 

Goodness is stronger than evil. 

Love is stronger than hate. 

Light is stronger than darkness. 

Life is stronger than death. 

Victory is ours through Him who loves us. Amen.

These simple yet most important truths are the ones we need to hold onto. On this Easter, remember and live the Resurrection because Victory is ours through him who loves us! Amen