Easter Sunday at Epiphany on April 12, 2009

Matthew 28:1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. ² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. ⁵ The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." ⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

He sat on it

There have been some pretty popular “put-downs” in TV history. “Eat my shorts.” “What you talkin’ ‘bout, Willis?” “No soup for you.” “Kiss my grits.” And one that is definitely popular in the Milwaukee area, “Sit on it.”

St. Matthew tells us, “An angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.” The angel sat on it! It seems like such an insignificant little detail in such a tremendous story. But with those words we see that all the strength and might of man in sealing the tomb and posting a guard and making it as secure as they knew how (Mt 27:65-66), was reduced to a chair. How right the psalmist was when against all the plotting and raging of man, he simply states: He who sits in the heavens, shall laugh. (Ps 2:4) Today we can add, “He who laid in the tomb shall laugh! For Christ is risen! No stone could hold in the Lord of life. When the angel sat on the stone, Jesus told Satan to ‘sit on it!’”

For what is a stone – no matter how big – against the One who took upon Himself the crushing weight of the sin of the world? What is a stone against the One who came to do battle again Satan and his subordinates? It is the height of unbelief that thinks a stone can hold God in a tomb.

With the resurrected Christ, sin is atoned for, death loses its power and the grave gives up its prey. Today we exclaim, “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” “Christ is risen!” means sin is forgiven. “Christ is risen!” means the roaring lion is now a toothless foe. “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” Every time we say those words, it should be with a particular gusto. Satan has lost and we won’t let him forget it. He lost and is vanquished forever. The prince of this world has been hurled down and the Prince of Life reigns immortal. Every time we confess these words, we are poking the devil in the eye with the sharp stick of our resurrection confession. We are mocking the mocker. We are telling him to “sit on it.”

That Easter morning, not only did the stone become a chair, it also became a pulpit. It is the place where the first Easter sermon was proclaimed, “You are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” The angel rolled back the stone, not to let the Lord out, but to show the world that the Lord was already gone. He rolled it back to help his fellow servants believe. He rolled it back so the women, the disciples and the world might believe. Now we know that Jesus’ resurrection was no mere spiritual resurrection, but that Jesus was wholly and fully alive. Not just part of Him, but all of Him – body and soul. Anything less would not have been a victory. Anything less would have meant that death had not been defeated, but had won after all. And if death is not defeated, then sin is not defeated. And if sin is not defeated, then we are still in our sin. And if we are still in our sin, then we have no hope (1 Cor 15:14), and Easter is not the most joyous, but the saddest, day of the year.

But the angel is sitting on the stone! The grave is not only open, it is empty. The angel opens his mouth to proclaim this good news. Concerning the life of Christ, don’t angels always bring good news? Christ is conceived, Christ is born, Christ is risen!

That is the cornerstone of all Christian preaching. The cross is empty; the grave is empty; which allows God to fill heaven. The stone the angel sat upon is not only his pulpit, but the pulpit from which all pastors preach. The once dead, now alive Savior dispels our doubts, calms our fears and forgives our sins.

Of course the angel sits on the stone, for Christ is our cornerstone. The rock on which the Church is built. Of course the angel sits on the stone. That is what Easter is all about. Resting on the cornerstone of the completed work of our Savior. Relying not on ourselves, but on Him as the source of our joy, our proclamation and our strength.

You know, the women who went to the tomb that first Easter morning had a pretty big obstacle to face. No, not the stone or death or the grave! That had all been taken care of for them, by Jesus, just as He had promised. Their obstacle was their unbelief. What they needed was faith. The same is true for you and me. What stones are holding you down, holding you in, holding you back? What stones are causing you sadness and struggle, dread and despair? What stones seem insurmountable? Is your problem the stones or unbelief? Do we need strength or do we need faith? Is the problem our Savior or our failure to believe His promises?

Worry over the economy. Apprehensive to make any big purchases. Doubt whether God will see you through the tough times. Confused about what good can come from your loved one’s death. Distressed your marriage is failing. Guilt over past sins. Perplexed at the options for medical treatment. Hair graying. Muscles aching. Eyesight weakening. Hearing going. Pain in places where you didn’t know you had places. Death looms large.

Dark. Despondent. Depressed. Like the disciples gathered in the upper room during Holy Weekend. Uncertain. Uneasy. Upset. Like the women walking to the tomb on Sunday morning. Annoyed. Then anguished. Then afraid. Like the soldiers guarding the grave that weekend. We waver between unbelief and faith. We fluctuate between a dead faith and a resurrection faith.

Today the angel sits on the stone and proclaims to us: Christ is risen! Whatever you need has been provided; whatever you fear has been defeated. Christ is risen, and you are risen with Him. Joined to Him in His death and resurrection in Holy Baptism. And because He lives, you live as well. His victory is your victory.

Doubts dispelled. Fears forgotten. Death defeated. Faults forgiven. Heartaches healed. Guilt gone. Sinners saved. All because the grave is open and empty and the angel sat on the stone.

Eric Barker was a missionary from England. For over 50 years he had lived in Portugal where he had preached the Gospel. Eric Barker planned on raising his family and finishing his life where it had been spent in the cause of the Gospel. Eric’s plans were changed when, during the critical days of World War II, he was told that it would be wise for him to send his wife and eight children to England for safety. There were tears all around as Eric’s wife, his little ones, along with his sister and her children, got on the ship which would take them to safety.

Barker stayed behind to continue the work to which he had been called. It was on the next Sunday after their leaving, that he stood before his congregation and announced, “I’ve just received word that my family has arrived safely home.” The congregation breathed a sigh of relief. The hymns were sung, the sermon was preached, and the pastor greeted his people at the door as they left for Sunday lunch.

It was only later in the day that the full meaning of their Pastor’s words, “my family has arrived safely home” was understood by the small congregation. They found out what you may already have guessed. Just before the worship service, Pastor Barker had been handed a telegram which told him a German submarine had torpedoed the ship his family had been on. There were no survivors. It was then that Barker’s congregation understood their pastor’s family had truly gone home. Not to England, which would, at best have been a temporary home. No, they had gone home to their Lord. Although torn by grief, by God’s grace, Pastor Barker had managed to preach the Savior’s story of salvation to his congregation. Overwhelmed by earthly sorrow, Barker was able to rejoice that his family, every one of them, had stood before their Savior’s open and empty tomb. He was comforted because they had believed Jesus’ resurrection promise: “Because I live, you shall live also.” He was able to go on because they had trusted in the Savior who had redeemed them on the dark and bloodied timbers of His Calvary cross.

It is a resurrection faith that comforts Christians and allows them to go on. The couple who had been married for 67 years. Their only separation was the time when the husband, as a young man, left his bride to fight in France in World War I. When death ended their earthly union and took the old soldier away, his wife cried; but she smiled through her tears. She knew, because of Jesus, their separation was destined to be a short one. She held fast to the thought they would be reunited in a place where conflict, illness, and aging could never touch them again.

The father who went to bed at night and fell asleep in the Lord. At the funeral the family remembered their dad’s confirmation verse, “Be faithful to the point of death and I will give you the crown of life.” The father and mother who were told their young athletic son’s flu-like symptoms were not the flu. He had an illness far worse and he would not live. They responded with the words of Job, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. The name of the Lord be praised.” The new parents in the delivery room with their newborn child with birth defects that would make it impossible for her to live through the night. They were grateful that God gave their daughter to them for even a few minutes and knowing she had died in her baptismal grace they would enjoy an eternity with her. The high school teenager who died in a car accident, and when her mother learned of the news she replied, “Now I don’t have to worry about her anymore. She is with Jesus now.” The stories continue. So many faces; so much sadness; so much sorrow. But at none of these places, with none of these families, could it ever be said that sadness was overwhelming, the sorrow was overpowering. Each and every one leaned upon their crucified and risen Lord Jesus.

Death is a common denominator for all of us. Sometimes it comes like a rapist, ripping and tearing and forcing himself upon families. Other times it arrives as a welcome friend providing respite and release from a painful and terminal illness. Death comes to all. But there is one God-given, blood-bought truth which cannot be overemphasized – when death comes and places his bony fingers around the necks of our souls, his cold, clutching grasp is broken by the nail-pierced hands of the risen Savior. When death comes calling, a living Jesus stands there and bars the way, saying, “You cannot have them; today, they shall be with Me in paradise.”

So let us too rejoice this Easter day! Let us too sit on Christ’s resurrection stone and laugh with holy joy! For Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! The angel sat on it. Now you can tell the devil, “Sit on it!” Amen.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!