EASTER 2024 Dawn service

WHO WILL ROLE THE STONE AWAY?  This question seemed to jump out at me.  Here, we have a community in deep grief, desperately striving to keep God’s law, the laws of the land and also deal with all the demands of proper burial rituals, therefore we have the women making a journey to the tomb on the third day.  Friday, Jesus was crucified, the laid him in the tomb hurriedly because they were not permitted to do any work as soon as it was sun down, because that commenced the Sabbath, and the Sabbath continued until Sun down on the Saturday evening – the second day.  Then we come to the third day.

 

The wait until there was enough day light to go to the tomb and prepare Jesus’ body, must have been an agonizing wait… and the delay in time would have meant that the job would not be an easy one.  The women were focused and organized….. well, not quite.  A huge obstacle threatened the success of their mission!  Who will role the stone away?  They didn’t know how they were going to get into the tomb to do their job. 

 

Jesus’ ministry was one where he had many followers and 12 disciples.  Of those twelve, some surely, were big burly fishermen!?!  And surely one of them could have been concerned enough to go with the women to help with the heavy lifting…. But no.    Where were they?

 

The fact of the matter is that this was a community deeply grieving and we all grieve in different ways.  Some avoid facing the truth and bury themselves in other activities.  Some feel that the pain is too raw to bring themselves into any of those places where they have to face the reality, and they distance themselves.  But honestly – These very natural reactions don’t help. 

 

Veteran singer Cliff Richards sang these very true words, “The only way out is the only way in and it’s you”.   Some of the other lyrics say; “I spent a lot of time at the crossroads - Getting that lonely feeling inside - Suddenly you stopped the rain, you changed the view - Now every way's leading to you”

 

When we are in pain and confusion we naturally withdraw and avoid, and often that action is not something that is going to help us.  The women, on the other hand are still in grief, but they are willing to be IN that grief – face it – own it -  and so they set off to visit the tomb, but there is a huge obstacle.  They don’t have the ability to move the stone.

 

Where is that big burly follower of Jesus?  What’s his name?  Peter!  Where do we imagine Peter is? 

 

Peter was very much experiencing pain and confusion.  In this time of Easter, we often focus on the fact that Peter denied Jesus, but I want to remind us all that just a little bit before that denial, Peter had a sword in the garden.  Do you remember the scene?  Peter was ready to fight and defend.  No one was getting to his man, Jesus.  But Jesus told him to put that sword away, and this was not long after Jesus had said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For your thoughts are not of the things of God, but the things of men."

 

Peter had been chastised by Jesus more than once, and at each of those times Peter was simply doing what any good and loyal friend would do.  When it came to the time when Peter denied Jesus, Peter was in deep confusion – In some ways he was telling the truth when he said, “I do not know him” – Peter didn’t understand Jesus – He didn’t understand what was happening and what he was meant to do and He was deeply, deeply grieved.  Peter was loyal and brave, but he was confused and didn’t know what to make of anything that had happened.  He knew that Jesus was the Messiah, but he no longer knew what to do…. And he withdrew.

 

So… who will move the stone?  We may be thinking the same thing.  We all have our own experiences of Jesus on our own journey of life.  In that journey we have had good times and bad.  Times when our faith was strong and times when… well, quite honestly, we became disillusioned and somewhat disappointed and felt that God let us down.  This is a tiny bit  - a fraction of the way the disciples were feeling.  They must have all been thinking, that surely, this could not be God’s plan for the Messiah. – Surely this could not be God’s plan for them???  What IS God’s plan?

 

In the year 2024, is it God’s plan that His chosen people are at war?  Is it God’s plan that we have so much youth crime?  Is it God’s plan that so few people understand and accept the Good News about Jesus Christ?  NO – It is not.

 

So – Who will move the stone?  That stone that hides the reality of the Good News of the resurrection comes in many forms; Disbelief, Disillusion, Disappointment… and all these were being experienced by the community of Jesus as those ladies walked towards the tomb.

 

We need the stone moved….  We need to reveal the reality of God to our community.  We need to move that stone which is keeping them from having their eyes opened to the truth of God.  BUT it is such a huge stone – it is too heavy for us.  Who will move the stone?

 

Where are we at in the story of the resurrection?  Are we like Peter, confused and rendered paralysed by our own failure?  Are we the disciples who are disillusioned and feeling confused about what the truth is, after being told by our circumstances and community that we are wrong? Are we those disciples who, after being taught so much by Jesus, feel resigned to the fact that we are powerless to make any impact? 

 

So who will roll the stone away?  The women had a job to do and they went to face the reality of their circumstance - Jesus’ death.  They didn’t know the answers to what God’s plan was in all their grief, but they were prepared to faithfully confront the reality and do what they could.  They walked towards the tomb aware of a huge obstacle facing them and possibly preventing them – but they went anyway. 

 

Who will move the stone for us, as we strive to bring the message of Jesus victory over the grave?  Will we continue to proclaim the truth about God’s sacrifice for the salvation of the world, or is the obstacle too large?  Will we continue God’s call to us to care for the marginalised, for those with no power and authority, for the poor and voiceless…. For the children, unborn- with no voice…  Will we continue to advocate for justice even when it is not popular or politically correct, and when the world is telling us we are wrong?  It is a heavy stone indeed!

 

There is this huge stone in our community that stands between us and the ways of the risen Lord.  You hear it’s voice and know it when it speaks because it is a voice of fear, despair, pride, division and darkness.  It’s message is the opposite of our risen Lord, who died to bring us life, showing us the ultimate example of love.  That stone of fear, despair, pride, division and darkness, might even be our own, and it is a huge stone threatening to block the message of God’s salvation.

 

But WHO will move the stone for us?  We need to know the message of the resurrection and the power of God almighty who moves the stone and raises from the dead.  The stone will be moved – God himself will see that it is moved.  As we faithfully say “Yes” to God and continue to walk in faith, we will find that the stone is moved.  Christ IS risen!  Now, Go and tell the disciples this… the ladies needed to proclaim the Good News because the disciples needed to hear the truth.  Most importantly, like us, they also needed their faith encouraged!  The stone has been rolled away! God himself accomplished all this and Jesus is risen!

 

Let’s share our stories of faith and hope and encourage each other, because our God is a God of miracles.  Let’s talk about it, proclaim it and God WILL move that stone– He already has! and Christ is Risen, Alleluia.   – He is Risen indeed – Alleluia.