Resurrection Day

Mark 16:1-8
"When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, 'Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.' So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid." (NRSV)

As I sit in church in Bethlehem at Christmas Lutheran Church where almost everything is in Arabic (except the epistle reading, which was read in German today), I read the scripture for the day (a different lectionary cycle) and come up with sermons. Today, as I read the resurrection story from Mark's gospel, I was struck by the question the women ask one another: "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb?"

This question, as it turns out, pointed to a non-issue. For, "when they looked up, they saw that the stone ... had already been rolled back."

The question and the startled observation raised questions in my mind: Whose plan are we a part of? Whose work are we doing? Do we get so involved in the tasks we've set our minds to that we miss (or come close to missing, or are surprised by) the work that God is already doing? Have we missed the stone, which is very large, that God has already rolled away?

So often, I think that I have to make things happen and if I don't work hard, nothing will get going. In my second year of college, I was part of Leadership Effectiveness And Development (LEAD) Team, a group which learned about and shared styles and methods of leadership, and empowered students to claim their own leadership potential.

Recently, the sporting goods company, Nike, had coined the slogan "just do it" (TM), so we knew that, while those words fit our purpose, we couldn't use that one. Instead, we came up with "Make It Happen" as our vision, mission and purpose statement (even though those labels were not yet in vogue).

I'm a bit embarrassed now about this statement (in truth, I was at the time, too) -- how presumptuous to make something happen. What about the things beyond our control? Or, the other people involved who many not like or want to be pawns in our activity that we're making happen?

Yet, this sort of attitude is pervasive in our culture:
Just do it! Make it happen!
You are master of your own destiny.
Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.
Go from rags to riches, just like Horatio Algiers.

But, then here come Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome, with a task to do ("make it happen, girls!") and the worries, confusion and grief of the past few days. As they went on their way to do their task, they asked themselves the question, "How will we make this happen, this caring-for-Jesus'-body task we have before us? There's a big stone in the way!"

They were so intent on this puzzling problem that they almost missed God at work.

It turns out that it wasn't up to them to make things happen.

It's not up to us to make God's work happen either. We participate with God, we answer God's call, we are challenged by God's invitation to live the life and grace we've been given. But, God makes things happen (or not, as the case may be). God is the initiator and the actor. God rolls back the very large stone.

So, look up. See where the stones have been rolled away. Pay attention to the work that God is doing for us, and follow the Way that is made for you to go.

Oh, and, by the way, be not afraid!