First Reading Exodus 13:1-2, 11-16
Second Reading 1 Corinthians 15:51-58
1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8Then they remembered his words, 9and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
Now Luke’s Easter story gets a hearing. The women hear good news from the angels, and they go to relay it to Jesus’ disciples. But the disciples don’t listen—“these words seemed to them an idle tale.” It’s not enough for Peter. He has to know. He runs to the tomb to look for himself. We don’t know exactly what he thought. Maybe he put two and two together and realized what the linen cloths by themselves meant. Whatever it was he went home amazed.
We didn’t get that chance this year. We didn’t get the brass or the pastel ties or lemonade on the lawn—not to mention the packed church full of friends singing “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” to our hearts’ content. The church, like the tomb, was empty. But the story still speaks; and as we read and read and keep reading we, like Peter, get to return to the tomb to see for ourselves what it means. The full implication of what it means isn’t something we discover one time (or on one particular Sunday). We grapple with it for the rest of our lives. It’s enough to see, and then to return (or remain) home amazed, even if we’re alone. The good news is, even if it feels that we are alone, because of Easter we never are.
God be with us, now more than ever. Let the words that we read become your voice to us, that we would hear the assurance of your love emerging from dark tombs of isolation and worry into joyful Easter mornings, wherever we are. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
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