Pastor Jonah Sage preached from John 20:1-10 on Easter Sunday. He said that history repeats itself. The Resurrection guarantees it. Lector: Kristin Paine
Pastor Jonah Sage preached from John 20:1-10 on Easter Sunday. He said that history repeats itself. The Resurrection guarantees it. Lector: Kristin Paine
Happy Easter! He is Risen!
Welcome to Sojourn. Thank you for making us part of your family's tradition this year.
This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it, amen?!
I need some joy today. Indulge me for a moment. Longest part of the NFL season.
The chiefs won the Super Bowl. Again. Gross.
Lamar Jackson won the NFL's MVP this year. Love Lamar. Second time he's won it.
Last time he won it, 2020, the Chiefs won the Super Bowl too.
Kinda feels like history repeats itself. More ways than one.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce's girlfriend, won Grammy for album of the year, TS's midnights.
She won't it back in 2020, too, for her BANGER record Folklore.
Lamar MVP: 2020, 2024
Chiefs Super Bowl: 2020, 2024
Taylor Swift AOTY: 2020, 2024. Feels like history repeats itself!
In 2020, I preached to an empty room on Easter.
Pandemic was upon us. News reports keep speculating about another new disease.
That's worse to think about than the Chiefs winning another Super Bowl.
Big election in 2020, too. Trump vs. Biden.
Remember how one side said Trump was a criminal and a bully...
And the other said Biden hated America, was old and senile?
Remember how scared we were about the economy? History repeats itself!
2020: pandemic fears. 2024...
2020: Trump is a criminal. 2024...
2020: Biden is senile, destroying America. 2024...
2020: what about the economy? 2024...
History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.
-Ecclesiastes 1:9
Most of us are scared about history repeating itself...but this morning, we are reminded why we hope history repeats itself.
In Jesus' day, leprosy was raging. Political oppression under a tyrant king.
And the chiefs probably won the Super Bowl that year, too.
The circumstances of Jesus' day were not that different from ours...
The circumstances of Jesus' did not stop the greatest news of all time then, and it won't stop it now, either. So hear me: history repeats itself, the resurrection of Jesus guarantees it.
And maybe, this time around, we have an opportunity to do it again better.
Our story starts w/Mary Magdalen arriving first to the tomb.
So unexpected. A woman, who history looks down upon just as her culture did
A woman, whose testimony would not have been valid in a court, is the first witness...
If you're here and skeptical, this should hit a little different. Why put this in the story?
But woman-as-witness is not the only surprise here:
Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, "they have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and we don't where they have put him!"
-John 20:1-2
Jesus told them what would happen...but they still couldn't conceive of it
A woman whose life was filled with disappointments think history is repeating
Another broken promise, symbolized by an empty tomb. She thinks grave robbers.
The boys catch up and see Mary isn't lying. Watch this little note:
Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—for until then they still hadn't understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead.
-John 20:9
Sometimes we don't recognize a thing until it's happened.
In that moment, it's as if our eyes are opened and it makes sense.
If I knew what 2020 would have been like as a pastor, I would have quit.
I would have opened a hot dog stand with Pastor Travis.
But we lived it, we learned and are better prepared now
We know history repeats itself...but that's not only bad thing.
Often, our fears blind us to what's really going on.
This seems to be the case with the disciples, because they go home, and it's certainly the case with Mary, because:
Mary was standing outside the tomb crying
-John 20:11
Just because a thing makes sense doesn't make it less painful.
Just because you understand where the cancer came from, or why the car wreck happened...it doesn't make it less painful.
So, just for a moment here on Easter, if you find yourself with sadness in your heart, fear in the future, trying to drum up some joy or excitement, look at Mary and know yours are not the first tears cried on Easter.
If you have that "here we go again" feeling looking into the Summer and Fall, if it feels like plans have failed or promises have been broken, look at Mary and know you're not alone.
And you're not alone alone in more ways than one:
She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn't recognize him. "Dear woman, why are you crying?" Jesus asked her. "Who are you looking for?"
John 20:14
Incredible. He doesn't correct. Is not disappointed or angry.
Gently, softly, he asks a question. He draws her out.
He wants to hear from her, wants her to speak, to share, to be honest.
This is what we do with Easter tears and future fears.
We speak them. We share them. We're honest with them.
Because we know history repeats itself, and this is a good thing.
Because we may just find out that we are not so alone after all
"Mary!" Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, "Rabboni!"
-John 20:16
He calls her by name. By. Name. Do you see?
If any of you looked up who else said "Rabboni" when we talked about it with Blind Bartimaeus last week, this is it! Such affection. Such love.
And when she hears his name from the voice of her master, her eyes are opened.
She sees, and she goes announcing the good news that he. Is. Risen.
I want to point out one more detail here and try to give us some encouragement.
Have you ever heard this story and wondered why she doesn't recognize him?
We don't get anything in there about Jesus pulling some Jedi mind trick.
Nothing mystical or magical.
But there's something the Bible shows us repeatedly: when we are transformed, when we are fully restored, when we are in the presence of God, we are unrecognizable.
Moses leaves the presence of God and has glowing horns of light.
Jesus reveals himself to the disciples and is radiates dazzling light.
She was looking for a body, not for a resurrection.
She was looking for a dead man, not a risen one.
And that's us, isn't it? So good at looking for the death in ourselves and each other.
So skilled at knowing why the other candidate is better, what's wrong with the economy, healthcare, or just our least favorite sports team like the chiefs.
Well technically the Steelers are the worst, but it's close.
We are experts at looking for death, so good in fact that we miss life.
We miss resurrection, just like Mary, even when it's standing right in front of her.
But one day soon everything will make sense. I promise you.
Jesus' resurrection of the dead doesn't just mean he is who he said he is.
He's the Son of God. Savior of the world. The good shepherd come to bring us all the way home. That's true, the resurrection confirms it.
But it also means that what he said will happen WILL HAPPEN.
History WILL repeat itself, the resurrection guarantees it.
And one day, very soon, Jesus will not be the only one who died and resurrected
And I wonder what might happen if we learned to turn all that energy we spend fearing the future repeating the past into just a little bit of hope that it will.
A little bit of hope that the one who promised he would die and be raised, a little bit of hope that he wasn't lying when he said we would be raised too.
Here's the promise:
But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
-1 Corinthians 15:51-55
On that day, we'll hear Jesus call each of us by name.
We'll say, "oh, hasn't this happened before? Isn't this what you promised?"
We'll see, and it will make sense.
We are counting on history repeating itself.
Not just in death, or elections, or sports teams...we are counting on history repeating itself in resurrection.
Neither plague nor politics could stop the resurrection in Jesus' day, and neither plague nor politics can stop it in ours.
Betrayal couldn't stop it. Doubt couldn't stop it. Political tyranny, cultural oppression, disease or a floundering economy couldn't stop it. Not even crucifixion could stop it
History will indeed repeat itself, the resurrection guarantees it.
Nothing in all of creation has the power to stop the resurrecting love of Jesus.
And if he walked out of his grave, you will walk out of yours, too.
Imagine how light this will all seem on that day.
Imagine the clarity. Imagine the peace. Imagine the freedom.
This is the promise that has been made, and Jesus' resurrection is the guarantee it will be fulfilled.
So we rejoice. We sing. We serve. We trust. We love.
Certainly as those with Easter tears, but also as those with Easter hope
History will indeed repeat itself. The resurrection guarantees it.
Let's pray.