Easter Sunday
Year A, April 5, 2026 The Rev. Dr. Robin A. Reed
Acts 10: 34-43
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Colossians 3: 1-4
John 20: 1-18
Jesus calls us. See with resurrected eyes!
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
What a joyful proclamation. With the highest praise, we announce Jesus has been raised from the dead.
His resurrection is real and true. This proclamation declares a mystery we don’t, we can’t and we weren’t created to understand. A mystery which speaks deeply to our world weary, sin-sick souls...
Alleluia! Alleluia. is a balm in Gilead, water to a parched tongue, light at the end of a tunnel after a long Lent. As we shout our alleluias. our eyes see our world through the lenses of resurrection vision.
In contrast, Mary Magdalene’s response this morning is of deep grief after the trauma of experiencing Jesus dying on the cross and losing her Lord and Savior. Mary’s mind, like all of our minds from time to time, is stuck in a frantic loop.
Where is he? Where IS he? Where is HE?
The first time Mary Magdalene proclaims her worst fear she has run to the disciples’ safehouse in panic.
“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we do not know where they have laid him.”
The second time she proclaims her worst fear Mary Magdalene can’t even seem to see straight as a wave of disorienting grief rushes over her. She turns in on herself; her vision narrowing so much she misses recognizing the angels lying in glory where Jesus’s head and feet had been.
“Woman, why are you weeping?” the angels said.
“They have taken away my Lord, I do not know where they have laid him.”
After saying this, Mary, sensing a person behind her, turns around in her grief, looking inward to herself; blind to the reality right in front of her; believing nothing would ever be alright again.
Mary, who does not even recognize Jesus, assumes he is the gardener or even a thief, concludes the worst outcome. “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away.”
Mary’s first words are in sharp contrast to the first words we have spoken to the Resurrected Christ today.
“Alleluia! Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed.”
Before Jesus calls her by name, Mary sees the world through crucifixion eyes. Crucifixion eyes can afflict us much of the time, as we focus on the ultimate glass half-empty, convinced Sin and Death have won; tricked into longing for the past; the good old when we were children, the days before the human condition in our society had taken a deep dive.
Crucifixion vision fuels our fear and our greed in a world where evil seems to surround us and we worry; will we ever have enough money to feel safe, secure?
Crucifixion vision binds us in sadness when we look away from God, take everything too personally, assume the worst and lose our sense of hope.
Crucifixion vision points us toward seeing both the world as filled only with winners and losers, firsts and lasts. and ourselves as needing to only rely upon ourselves as we strive to be winners according to society
Crucifixion vision convinces us death is really the end and seduces us to believe we had better cram our lives with as much stuff – pleasure, happiness – to postpone death as long as possible by whatever means we can.
Mary Magdelene, with her crucifixion vision, is paralyzed; stuck after Jesus died and in a blaming mode. “Who took his body?” She is unable to either see or hear the Good News or even leave the scene. Like Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved, Mary Magdalene temporarily lost her ability to see with wonder and curiosity: the angels. the grave clothes lying there folded neatly; the sudarium, the cloth which covered Jesus’ face rolled neatly in the tomb’s corner.
Mary Magdalene, like many of us from time to time, is temporarily trapped in crucifixion vision; unable to marvel and be astonished even by the resurrected Christ in her midst until she hears her own name spoken in His warm, familiar voice.
“Mary! Mary! Do not hold on to me. Go to my brothers. Say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father to my God and your God.’”
And then, like the scales which fell from St. Paul’s eyes as Ananias prayed for him to be filled with the Holy Spirit, Mary’s eyes were opened, filled with resurrection vision.
Resurrection vision, released this day to all of us as Jesus’ rises from the grave, is broader, wider, and deeper than crucifixion vision. Resurrection vision overtakes, overcomes and redeems us. Filled with resurrection vision, you and I look away from ourselves and all our problems toward Christ – to take in the presence of Christ in a flower, a child being baptized, the subtle sensation of our breath – breathing in and out. All giving us life.
Resurrection vision enables us to remember and trust both all things. All people work together for good; all those who are called to God’s purpose and mission. Even if our night is spent weeping, joy will come in the morning.
Resurrection vision opens our hearts to be curious, wonder-full; to expect and be surprised by God, for our God is a God of surprises. God often uses the least qualified, educated, least “good people” to be his ministers in the world. Remember Moses, David, Paul and now Mary Magdalene, a woman with no social standing from whom Jesus exorcised seven demons, but who loved Jesus with child-like faith and devotion.
While crucifixion vision, mired in the lenses of scarcity sees nothing but a single grain of wheat, and thinks surely that will not be enough. Resurrection vision anticipating God’s abundance waits patiently for God’s surprises as the green blade which rose from the buried grain becomes bread for the whole world, Jesus Christ our Lord!
God lives with resurrection vision, for God sent his only Son into the world, not to condemn the world, that’s a crucifixion vision, but that the world might be redeemed through Him…and that is this morning’s surprise!
If our eyes are covered with the scales of crucifixion vision, we can’t anticipate, see or even trust that God is at work, here, now and surprising us in ways beyond all you and I can ask for or even imagine.
But as the scales drop from our eyes and we see with resurrected vision, we will know both in our heads and in our hearts with God’s help all things are possible. As our eyes open to be resurrected eyes, we realize we want Christ and not we ourselves to be at the center of both our universe and our hearts. We know that love wins over death and destruction. We embrace. Christ calls us to be one with haves or have nots as we share our deepest identity as beloved children of God, Christ’s brothers and sisters. As hard as you and I try going to the optometrist, buying readers at Wal-Mart, and undergoing cataract or laser surgery, you and I cannot fix our spiritual vision on our own.
We can receive God’s healing, for God offers God-Himself first to each one of us. reaches out and invites us to be healed knowing that you don’t have to…you can’t…you aren’t meant to hold onto God because God is already holding onto you. God has never let you go.
God draws you up from the grave, offers you healing. Through prayer, Holy Scripture, music, worship, fellowship to provide whatever you need to see clearly and accurately with spiritually resurrected eyes.
As you and I well know, it takes a lifetime for our eyes to be truly resurrected to see as God sees and to choose to love as God loves. Remember the blind man in Mark’s Gospel whose friends bring him to Jesus for healing? Jesus creates spittle out his own saliva and mud and places the mud on the man’s eyes. At first the man, who still has scales upon his eyes, sees people but they are like trees walking around. Then again Jesus touches the blind man’s eyes to fully restore his vision, to allow him to see with resurrected eyes.
The healing of the blind man’s vision reminds us spiritual enlightenment is a journey, a series of gradual convictions, repentances, and healings with Jesus actively and compassionately involved every step of the way...
So, rest assured, as you struggle with crucifixion vision it may take a few tries, many tries, seasons of gradually letting go, probably with a few steps backs, as growth is prone to be, but you can trust God is at work inviting you... wherever you are.. whomever you are…however you have been, to let God loosen the scales from your eyes and open them to the Resurrected Jesus at work in your life and world.
Rest assured the Resurrected Jesus is here meeting you just where you are; holding and healing you, and indeed the whole of creation; transforming each of us so we can see with resurrected eyes.
And for that we proclaim. Alleluia, Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia, Alleluia.
Amen.
** I am grateful to Joslyn Ogden Schaefer
for ideas from her sermon, “Resurrection Vision”, Easter Day (A) – April 12, 2020
