The empty tomb. The risen Christ. Satan’s defeat. Forgiveness of sins. The beginning of the new creation. It has all built up to this. It all flows from this. Christ is risen, indeed! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Christ is risen, indeed! Forty days of Lent, extra services throughout the week, multiple sermons over the course of Holy Week, you are finally here! The empty tomb. The risen Christ. Satan’s defeat. Forgiveness of sins. The beginning of the new creation. It has all built up to this. It all flows from this. Christ is risen, indeed! Alleluia!
Every year I wrestle with the same thing leading up to Easter Sunday. How do I make this sermon special? After all, this is the most important festival on the Church calendar. I expect it also to be the best attended Sunday of the Church Year. Our regular members will be present, ready to sing their praises. Those people who rarely attend will be making it a priority to hear the message of the risen Christ, and there will be far more visitors in the pews than usual. What will I say that will excite, engage, and entice people to come back next Sunday? What can I say that will be new, exciting, and thought-provoking?
And then, every year, it hits me: Alleluia! Christ is risen, indeed!
There is no need to be creative, fancy, or overly inventive this Sunday. The resurrection of Jesus is the most thrilling message in the history of the world. The message itself does not need to be made fresh or new. The message of Jesus is the thing that does all the new-making!
The account presented to us by Matthew has everything you need for a captivating narrative: The stage is set with two Mary’s who, having seen their Lord’s crucifixion and burial, solemnly approach the garden tomb after the most tragic night of their lives. Their Lord had been unjustly and brutally crucified. The sorrow is heavy. Then, things get crazy with earthquakes, an angel from Heaven descends and roles the stone away from an empty tomb. His glorious presences frightens away the trembling guards and he proclaims the Gospel to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay.” And, just when you think you have read the climax of the story with the angel’s directives to give the news to the cowering disciples, the women leave and encounter the risen Lord Himself! “Greetings,” is the word He blesses those dear women with from His resurrected lips. They worship their Lord, grabbing His resurrected feet (in the ancient world, people believed ghosts had no feet). He sends these women as apostles to the apostles, to spread the Word, that He is, indeed, risen!
Since our reading from Matthew narrows in on the first encounters with the empty tomb and delivers to us what Saint Paul calls the news that is of first importance (1 Corinthians 15:3), I would recommend just telling the story. David Schmitt offers us a number of ways to preach a narrative with his list of Storied Discourse Structures.[1] I recommend utilizing one of these structures to guide your sermon.
The message itself does not need to be made fresh or new. The message of Jesus is the thing that does all the new-making!
For example, you could use the Biblical Story Interrupted[2] structure. You would begin the sermon by setting the stage of the women going to the tomb. Recall the events of Good Friday and then show how the women approach the tomb as if Jesus were dead. Here, interrupt the story and show how, in many and various ways, we conduct our day-to-day lives as if Jesus is dead. Find examples of how we ignore God’s Word or attach our alliance to things which are not Christ. You can also talk about how many of us are crippled by fear and depression because of the real and terrifying realities in the world right now. Discuss how, if Jesus were dead, it would be hopeless and it would only make sense to pledge our allegiances to things that are not Christ.
But then, come back and join our Marys on their way to the tomb. Recount the earthquake, the arrival of the angel, the trembling of the soldiers, and the announcement that Jesus has risen! And point out how this changes everything! Here, as you interrupt the narrative, you may want to focus on the fact that the risen Jesus has not yet appeared in our account. The earthquake, rolled stone, angel presence, trembling soldiers, and all the rest are all evidence of the fact that Jesus is risen. You may spend some time here with some apologetic defenses of the resurrection or reasons to believe why it is true that He is alive. Discuss the historical reality of the empty tomb.
But more so, focus on the fact that, at this point, you and I are most like our Marys in that they have only heard the message, but have not seen the risen Christ. They heed the guidance of the angel and run to tell the disciples what has happened. They live as if Jesus is, indeed, risen! As a pastor, this is where you hit your paydirt. At this point, you get to announce how you are acting as the angel in the story today, and you are here to announce that Jesus is, indeed, risen… for you! This means your fears are overcome, your sins are forgiven, your death is temporary and weak, and the God of all creation is making things right. So, you can live in the freedom of these realities!
Now, return to our women sent to the apostles. As they run, delighting and living in this reality, they come face-to-face with the risen Lord Himself! He greets them with favor and they worship in faith. He speaks words of mercy and mission to them, but their faith is sight. Interrupt your story again at this point. We have not yet had this beatific vision. We still see through a glass dimly. However, the message of the resurrection today is that you will see Him face-to-face (1 Corinthians 13:12). Here, you can call to mind the marvelous phrase from Samwise Gamgee. After his harrowing adventure to destroy the evil ring of power, in the closing chapters of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, he sees a room full of his friends and loved ones and cries, “I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself! Is everything sad going to come untrue?”
Yes! Because Christ is risen, indeed! And you can live confidently and freely knowing all that is sad will come untrue. Proclaim it with all the joy and might you can muster this Easter Sunday. But, even if you do not have any mustering left in you, fear not! The Holy Spirit will do more with this story than you can ever hope or imagine, indeed!
The Risen Christ bless your preaching!
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out 1517’s resources on Matthew 28:1-10.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Matthew 28:1-10.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
[1] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/textual/genre/narrative/
[2] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/textual/genre/narrative/biblical-story-interrupted/
