“A Message Worth Sharing”
Scripture: Psalm 118 sung as a psalter and Mark
16:1-8
Preached by Linda Jo Peters
10:30 Easter Morning April 8, 2012 with communion
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana
INTRODUCTION
TO SCRIPTURE:
Mark
16:1-8Like many funeral suppers, it is the women taking over what needs to be done. Jesus was buried in a hurry; all the proper rites to care for his body have been neglected. So in Mark’s recounting, three women close to this beloved Rabbi, head out to take care of what needs to be done. All their expectations are about to be shattered, not with grief or obligation but with joy, but in Mark that is not their reaction. This great message is silenced by fear.
When
the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome
bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the
first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had
been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the
entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was
very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a
young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were
alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of
Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is
the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going
ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they
went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and
they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
SERMON
Wait! Where is the rest of the story? The Gospel of Mark has a weird ending. In
fact, the ending was is so uncomfortable for early Christians that they penned
another ending to the Gospel. While Mark 16:9-20 are in our Bibles, there is no
shortage of footnotes to tell us that the earliest manuscripts of Mark don’t
include them. More than likely Mark didn’t write this longer ending.[1] So
Mark’s Gospel ends with the women—who have just been commanded to tell the
disciples the Good News that Jesus had been raised from the dead—running off in
fear not telling anyone anything. I
think this is an ending for today’s believers.
We too avoid sharing this message of hope. Perhaps we are not afraid of an angelic encounter,
but some of us are afraid we will be looked down as “Jesus Freaks,” as naïve, or
gullible. Sometimes our fear is that we
cannot speak well or we lack the knowledge to answer people’s questions. What
keeps you from sharing this worthy message of new life found in Christ Jesus? Maybe Mark knew people who did not tell the
Good News story, so he ended his gospel in this abrupt manor for a
purpose.
Professor
Lose writes in his commentary that throughout the Gospel of Mark the people who
should stand with Jesus do not. But…
… there's one other
person who has seen and heard everything Jesus has said and done. One other who
heard Jesus' predictions and then watched as they came true. One other who
listened to the amazing news at the empty tomb and heard the order to go and
tell. Do you know who what other person is? It's you. And me. And all the
readers of Mark's gospel, including all those gathered to worship this Easter
morn all over the world. Mark writes this open-ended gospel that threatens to
end in failure, you see, precisely to place the burden of responsibility for
telling the good news squarely on our shoulders.[2]
So
will we take responsibility for sharing Jesus’ story? What would help us be better at sharing this worthy message of hope?
Today
we will celebrate our Lord’s Supper and there is a distinctive, fourfold
pattern of action that can be seen each time Jesus shares a meal with his
disciples: taking, blessing (or giving thanks), breaking, and giving. This Eucharistic
pattern of action is evident in a variety of contexts—not only in the Passover
meal before Jesus’ death, but in the accounts of him feeding the multitude and
in the meals he shared after his resurrection from the dead.[3] Take, bless, break and give. To me this simple rhythm can fit our sharing
this worthy message as we share this worthy meal.
Take:
we need to know the story. We too need
to hear it over and over.
Bless:
give thanks to God for the gift of Jesus in our lives.
Break:
take apart the story into manageable pieces so people can receive it. It would not be good to stuff a whole loaf of
bread in your mouth.
Give:
Share this amazing and worthy message with all.
Take,
Bless, Break and Give. Take in that
Jesus was crucified that he truly died that day and his sacrifice is redemptive
of our sinful nature. Bless and give God
thanks for all we have been given in Jesus the Christ. Break the story apart and in the breaking
come to know it well for sharing. Give
what you have been given reminding them that now they too have a message worthy of sharing. We began this time of reflection on Mark's Gospel by woundering where the rest of the story is. Just remember, you are the rest of the
story! Amen.
[2]
Commentary “Just the Beginning” by David Lose, Marbury E. Anderson Biblical
Preaching Chair, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN posted 4.1.12 http://www.workingpreacher.org/dear_wp.aspx?article_id=574
[3] http://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/worship/pdfs/fourfold_action.pdf
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