Mary Magdalene, John Prine and the Surprise of the Empty Tomb

In my "Easter Sunday COVID Homily" I look at John 20:1-2 and try to point out that no one – despite all that Jesus had said while He was with them – expected that Jesus would actually rise from the dead on the third day.  Mary Magdalene showed up at the tomb to do her work, not because of any hope that Jesus would be raised to life as He had said.  “The Hurt of Her Circumstances Overshadowed even the Hope of God’s Promise Until She Saw the Risen Jesus and heard Him call her name.”  That kind of abandonment is so painfully real that it hurts us to look at it.  And impacts us in a similar way when it is our own pain.

I was a student intern with the NC Prison system in 1974 mostly processing papers for vets who had come back from Viet Nam with a heroin addiction, committed a crime and were jailed.  I had heard John Prine’s song Sam Stone, but was suddenly seeing it in the eyes of vets sitting across the table from me.  “With a purple heart and a monkey on his back .  .  .  . There’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes.  Jesus Christ died for nothing I suppose.  .  .  .”  If  you don’t know the song, you may want to give a listen, but be warned, in typical John Prine fashion, it is a hard reality - https://youtu.be/Sl9ZkYViEIs 

John Prine captured - and those vets lived - the same hopeless abandonment that clouded Mary’s heart and mind when she saw Jesus and thought He was the Gardner.  (John 20:15)  I’m really praying that the Holy Spirit would move on hearts and minds in everything we do this week at Harderwyk.  From Thursday's Maundy Thursday Online Service on through to our online Easter morning offerings, I am praying that the Spirit would awaken people to hear their name spoken by the Risen Jesus, just like Mary did that first Easter morning.  

It has been a Holy Week like no other in my experience.  During the time, I am thankful to be a part of all the effort, gifting and prayer that has gone in for these next few days by those I share ministry with.

I’ll be missing John Prine who passed away from complications with COVID-19 this week as well – and praying that he too came to hear Jesus call his name and to realize that Jesus did, in fact, die for something and that He is risen.

The Tomb is Empty!  He is Risen!  He is Risen, Indeed!!!

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CLICK HERE to hear my homily as part of our Easter Sunday Worship for Easter 2020.

CLICK HERE to hear a more in-depth (You understand that "in-depth" is how preachers say "longer!") presentation as part of our "Celebration Easter Sunrise Service," a special video done by Harderwyk's Celebration team.  It's a more classic or traditional setting for Easter with organ, brass, hymns and sermon like we do each week in "Celebration,"  the particular worshipping community that I serve at Harderwyk.  The sermon starts at about 24:30.