Easter Sermon: I Have Seen the Lord!

"I Have Seen the Lord!"
Easter Sunday
John 20:1-18 by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
March 27, 2016


Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.

They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’

When she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’

Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” ’

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her. - John 20: 1-18


You and I – we just experienced her story. And it is a powerful one because at its very core it transcends the words on the page.

When she looked into the empty tomb she saw her ending. Everything that Mary Magdalene had put her faith into seemed to come undone. I can imagine her mind was racing a mile a minute as she reflected on the past: following in the steps of her Teacher and friend; learning how the world and faith were all tethered to God; breaking bread together in table fellowship.

Jesus and the band of disciples were a close family. The experience of authentic community was so very important back then. And it had all come to an abrupt end. She came to the tomb to look for the One they knew as the Messiah – the anointed One – the One who hung on the cross. The One she was looking for could not be found. She was overwhelmed.

The disciples had come and gone in disbelief. And she paced both inside and outside of that tomb looking for an answer. Maybe she was trying to reason out this impossible situation. Maybe she was trying to fix it. You know how women always have the right answer!

But within the moment she looked up into the eyes of the One mistaken to be the gardener everything changed. He said her name. She heard his voice. God’s presence swept over her and she saw the Lord. In that transcending moment, Mary experienced the Good News. In what seemed to be her ending she experienced a new beginning. She experienced the promise of resurrection.

It is hard to get our minds around that word resurrection. We cannot explain it. We can only experience it. A colleague of mine in ministry shared last week that the purpose of the gospel is not to save but to witness through the power of story. God’s story of sacrificial love and new life – death and resurrection – rewrites our own stories.

We all have a story to tell. And when we tell our story through the lens of faith we are empowered to bear words of God’s hope for ourselves and for one another. The power of our stories allows us to see God at work in the big picture of life.

Natalie Sleeth told her story through music. From the early age of four, Natalie was captivated by the way music transcended words. She learned how to play the piano and also learned how to professionally speak and write the language of music. She composed numerous hymns for the greater Church, particularly songs for children. She is well known in Methodist circles and one of her most powerful hymns is in our Presbyterian hymn book.

We experienced Natalie’s story this morning as we sang the second hymn, “In a Bulb There Is a Flower.” This song is also known as “Hymn of Promise.” Natalie wrote the song during a very difficult time in her life. Her husband, Rev. Ronald E. Sleeth, was a Methodist minister and he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. During this dark time, Natalie pondered questions about “life and death, spring and winter, Good Friday and Easter.” She looked into the bareness of her winter and reflected how the “whole world reawakens each spring.” [1]

Nature has a particular ebb and flow as all things have an ending and a new beginning. Natalie was reminded of T.S. Eilot’s words, “In our ending is our beginning.” This long conversation in Natalie’s heart led her to write the hymn we sang this morning. She essentially wrote it for her husband in 1985 and it was first sung when they celebrated the gift of his life.

In our end is our beginning; in our time infinity
In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity
In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.[2]

Resurrection transcends our human struggles and directs our spiritual eyes to focus on God’s presence sweeping over us. At the very core of our stories lie brokenness, hurt, questions, doubt, and grief. It takes a lot of courage to look into the tomb of what we have buried or what we would rather bury. It takes a lot of courage to look at the situations in our lives that seem to be our endings.

What is so miraculous about this day is that the Spirit gives us courage to do this – to walk around our unique landscapes of life. The Spirit gives us courage to lift up the messy parts of life that we get really good at hiding. The Spirit gives us courage to look into our endings in order to find the grace of God as our beginning. God is raising up the greater things of faith, hope, and love to give us the promise of new life.

And when we share our stories and really listen to one another then we have an opportunity to truly see the Risen Christ standing right here with us. When we look into our own stories and sense God’s presence embracing us, then Mary Magdalene’s words become our refrain. We too cannot help but proclaim the Good News, “I have seen the Lord!”

As we sit in the hospital room being held together by prayer warriors and finally hear that this medical condition is improving; we have seen the Lord.

When ultimate healing comes by standing in God’s eternal presence and suffering and death are no more; we have seen the Lord.

We learn that our beloved has broken even just one link in the long chain of addiction; we have seen the Lord.

We prayed for God’s wisdom and peace to claim our attitude and at that very moment we were able to let everything go; we have seen the Lord.

We look into the clouds of depression and see a light revealing that we have value and we are loved; we have seen the Lord.

Through many tear-filled prayers and conversations grace begins to heal that marriage that needs mending; we have seen the Lord.

When terror and violence claim lives but Love speaks louder and moves us to bear all things, endure all things, and hope all things for one another in the community and world; we have seen the Lord.

There are stories of resurrection all around us and the Spirit is on the move today on Easter Sunday to give us courage to lift up our voices.

Ann Weems shared her story through prayer-infused poetry. She happened to be Presbyterian and wrote a number of books on the mysteries of God’s grace. Ann entered the Church Triumphant during this Holy Week at the young age of 81. Certainly the saints of heaven welcomed her with applause.

Ann fashioned transcending words for the Church to tell her story on Easter Sunday, for we are an Easter people:

The Church is Easter
Out of Death: Life.
Out of darkness:
A lush green world
Flowers in the ice
Sunrays in the storm
Mustard seeds galore.
Our souls enter a spiritual springtime.
Our bodies given over to leaping and dancing.
Our shouting crashes in upon this world:
The Lord lives!
We live!
Resurrection resounds throughout our community. [3]

Resurrection always has the last word. Resurrection moves the stone and the tomb is empty. Resurrection holds our ending in the very hands of God in order for a new beginning to take shape.

Friends consider your story. Look for Christ standing in the mess. And then let the Spirit give you courage to tell your story to those you love. In the beauty and brokenness of life, tell where you have experienced the Good News - Resurrection.

Tell where you have seen the Lord.

In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sources Referenced:

[1] C. Michael Hawn, “History of Hymns: In the Bulb There Is a Flower” http://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-in-the-bulb-there-is-a-flower

[2] Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013). Hymn No. 250 “In the Bulb There Is a Flower.”

[3] Ann Weems, “Kneeling in Bethlehem” (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1980), p. 81.