Fear and Joy?

A Sermon preached on April 16^th, Easter Day, at St. Augustine’s, Wiesbaden

Acts 10:34-43, Colossians 3:1-4, Matthew 28:1-10

“They left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy.” (Matthew 28:8)

How can you be both fearful and joyful at the same time? Isn’t that a contradiction? Well yes, but then Easter is full of contradictions. We started Holy Week with Jesus’ triumphant procession into Jerusalem. Shouts of Hosanna filled the streets, but they soon turned sour. Along with praise-filled shouts of “Alleluia,” the whole story of Easter also includes shouts of conflict and hate; of fear and pain; of confusion and misunderstanding. Just like life really.

It is all very well for the angel to say, “Do not be afraid,” but Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” and all the disciples had many good reasons to be afraid. They had seen their leader, teacher, friend, beloved, murdered by the state … that is what an execution, any execution is by the way. And they were worried they might be next. They were also deeply disappointed. Where is the kingdom of God? The Romans are still here – there were even two of them guarding Jesus’ tomb.  Immediately before the two Mary’s left the tomb, they had experienced an earthquake, an angel of the Lord descending from heaven, and the guards shaking and becoming like dead men. Who would not be afraid? I would.

“Do not be afraid” was the theme of our Parish Lenten retreat just a couple of weeks ago. We talked about a lot of good reasons to be afraid. Personal ones …. I can’t claim that I am looking forward to being operated on next month. The world: it’s a dangerous place right now. And of course fear fulfills a positive function, fear protects us, it forces us to take action, to flee or to fight a danger. 

The trouble with fear is that it also can immobilize us, cause us to withdraw behind real or metaphorical walls, or worse of all, even leads us to hate what we fear. Thankfully, we see none of these reactions from the two women at the tomb. They are not immobilized, they leave quickly and not because they are running away, but because they are following the angel’s instructions to “go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead’.” (Matthew 28:7) They are fulfilling a commission from God – even though they are afraid.

What is driving them to do this, what drives us to fulfill God’s commission? Not fear, but great joy! They are driven by faith, hope, and love. They don’t know that Jesus is risen, but they are prepared to believe the angel that that is why the tomb is empty, that he has been raised from the dead as Jesus had promised them. They are hopeful that they will see Jesus again in Galilee, together with all the other disciples. And they are full of love for Jesus. It was love that enabled them to stand at the foot of the cross when he died, it was love that brought them to the tomb, to mourn, and it is love that sends them on their way. Their joy of anticipation becomes an immediate and very present joy. The two Mary’s do not have to wait until they are in Galilee. Jesus meets them there and then, and they are so overwhelmed by their emotions that they fall down at his feet and worship him. 

We have three Baptisms today, of Anne, Jonathan and their daughter Ida. Everything we have been talking about, fear, joy, and commissioning all come together in the ceremony of Baptism. It is the means by which we participate now, symbolically, both in Jesus’ death and in his resurrection. In his letter to the Romans, Paul says “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” (Romans 6:3) In his letter to the Colossians that we heard read earlier, Paul also talks of the faithful as already having died, but he also says that “you have been raised with Christ.” (Colossians 3:1, 3)

Just occasionally I’m jealous of Baptist ministers. Sometimes in the summer, or when I have to carry my multiple vestments to an ecumenical service, I think how nice it would be just to have to wear a suit. And sometimes I’m jealous of their baptismal pools. We baptize here by pouring water on the candidates’ heads. They baptize by full immersion – and it is when you are pulled completely under water that you realize that Baptism symbolizes drowning. So shall we pop across the road to the lake in the park? We don’t need to of course. In our Baptism here too, we pray that the candidates “are cleansed from sin and born again to continue for ever in the risen life of Jesus Christ our Savior.” Anne, Jonathan, and Ida will be commissioned to join us in living lives of faith, hope, and love.  I cannot promise that they will not know fear, but I can promise them, you, and me great joy. 

In the reaction of the two Mary’s at that first Easter, we see fear and joy, disappointment and hope, desperation and determination, and we know that they are parts of all our lives. The Resurrection allows us to overcome fear, disappointment, and despair. The Resurrection of our Lord Christ is God’s sign, proof, and promise that faith, hope, and love will ultimately prevail!

Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.