When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, [Mary and Joseph] brought [Jesus] up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Mark 16:1-8

Pastor Marc's sermon on Easter Sunday (April 5, 2015) on Mark 16:1-8. Listen to the recording here or read my manuscript below. 

****************************

Did you ever have a favorite tv show that ended a little too soon? 

Now, as one of those people who tends to fall on the geeky, sci-fi, fantasy side of things, there are a slew of series that I got into that ended way too soon. Space: Above and Beyond, Firefly, and Stargate Universe - some didn’t even last into their second season. And when you’re telling a story that involves new cultures, aliens, distant planets, and all sorts of ridiculous technology that makes really awesome explosions - a handful of episodes just doesn’t cut it. It’s been fun watching what the author George R.R. Martin is doing with his Song of Ice and Fire series that the tv show Game of Thrones is based on. There’s still at least two more books that need to come out - and the tv series is already getting close to the end of the material that the author has published. There’s a slim chance that the author might die before the series is finished - so he’s even told the creators of the tv show the end of the story just in case he doesn’t make it. When we get invested in characters, their histories, and their worlds - we need more than just one binge watching session of Netflix to feel satisfied. We need a conclusion - a way to wrap the story up that makes total sense and leaves us in awe. We need a conclusion where we don’t need to ask “what if” kinds of questions. We need an ending that, when we tell our friends and family why we loved this show so much - they hear how the show ended and they just get it. They might not be as geeky as us but they’ll still get why we’re excited about it and why we devoted the hours and hours watching the show like we did. 

And our Gospel reading today, from the Gospel According to Mark, doesn’t really give us that. It reads like the end of a tv series that we really got into - and ended way too quickly. 

Now, these 8 verses in the sixteenth chapter of Mark are it. Many scholars believe that this is how the original version of Mark ended. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome come to the tomb at the break of day - to finish the burial rites for Jesus, their beloved teacher and friend. And, along the way, they’re a little preoccupied with a detail about how Jesus was buried. So I imagine, as they walked through the crisp spring air, with the sound of songbirds flipping about, and the early morning merchants and laborers stirring, these three devout women spent their time talking about a rock blocking the doorway. And, when they got to tomb, they were surprised - shocked really - to see that stone already rolled back. All their talk during the journey was unnecessary. Instead, something brand new was happening. 

So as they peaked their head through the door - slowly, hesitantly, not really knowing what they were going to see - they spot someone they didn’t expect: a young man in a white robe, just sitting there. The young man tells them to not be afraid - that Jesus is raised, Jesus is not here - and this young man tells them to go, tell the other disciples what’s happened and where Jesus is going. And these three women - run. They flee. They freak out - and they say nothing, to anyone, “for they were afraid.”

That’s how Mark’s gospel ends.

Now, if we go home and open our bibles - we’ll see other endings added on. One is just a sentence while the other is an additional 11 verses. These endings were added years after Mark was written because this abrupt ending makes us uncomfortable. How can silence be the final word? How can the story of Jesus - the story of God coming into our world - showing us what love looks like - how can we be afraid of that? How can we tell Jesus’ story if we don’t have a neat little conclusion to share? The other gospels give us resurrection stories. The other gospels show us that these women at the tomb - the first to proclaim Jesus dead and raised - they actually told someone. And we know they did because - well - look around - would we be here if they didn’t? 
*****
And maybe that’s Mark’s point. 

Take a moment and look around at everyone here. We’re here for a reason. We’re here because Christ Lutheran is our church and we’re here every Sunday. We’re here because it’s Easter and going to church on Easter is just something that we do. We’re here because a friend or a family member invited us - because our parents dragged us - or because something happened this week - and we just need to be around spiritual people today. The reasons why we’re here are legion - and our reasons for being here are all incredibly real, incredibly valid, incredibly valued, and I am glad you’re here. We’re bigger today because of your presence. We’re better today because of who you are. We’re better followers of Jesus because of your story and we couldn’t be who we are - without you.

And maybe - that’s Mark’s point. If we take the story and wrap it in a nice little bow, put on that nice conclusion that makes us feel satisfied, we miss what the young man sitting in the tomb is saying. “He has been raised; he is not here.” Jesus isn’t where the women expect. He isn’t waiting for the women to finish burying him. He isn’t dead. Jesus’s always been beyond their and our expectations - from the very start, when he began preaching that the kingdom of God - where God’s inclusive and overwhelming love defines who we are, what we are, and just how we live and love each other - Jesus has always been beyond where we expect him to be. Jesus isn’t dead. Jesus isn’t where he’s suppose to be. Jesus is resurrected - he’s brand new - he’s more than alive. We can’t wrap his story up in a neat little bow because we don’t get to say how this story ends. We don’t get to say how God acts and how God doesn’t. 

Because what matters to Mark isn’t the conclusion to story; what’s important are people - those who are living in God’s conclusion - those who are living in the world that God made, that Jesus died in, and the world that the Holy Spirit continues to breathe new life into. All of us here, right now, are part of God’s conclusion. Everyone outside these walls - are part of God’s final story. We, like those early disciples and those first Christian women - whether we believe or not, whether we understand or not - we are part of Jesus’ story. 

Go, tell - that’s what the young man in the tomb tells these women. Go and tell our story - how God has mattered in our lives - or how we’ve never felt Jesus near us. Go and tell our struggles, our fears, our terrors, share what amazes us and what scares us. Go and tell, the problems that the world faces - from racism, terrorism, income inequality, violence, sickness, and fear. Go and tell, our honest story about how far we are from loving like we should and how hate sometimes looks like it’s won. And then Go and tell that Jesus is not in the tomb. He’s not hiding behind a rock. He’s not waiting for us to find him where we expect him. No, Jesus is out there - in the terrors - in the fears - in the times of our lives that amaze and frighten us. God’s story continues - and Jesus is with it, through thick and thin, showing us that God’s kingdom - God’s love - and God’s presence matters more than how we’d like the story to end. Jesus - who was crucified - Jesus who was killed - Jesus who was defeated - has been raised. The ending we gave him couldn’t hold him. We’re now living in God’s ending where this creation and this human race isn’t just worth dying for - it’s worth being resurrected for, too. 

So Go, tell, that “Alleluia! Christ is risen!” 
All: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!