Easter Day

On June 18th, 1815, a combined force of British, Dutch, Belgian, and Prussian troops, under the leadership of the British general Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, engaged the powerful army of the French Empire, under Napoleon Bonaparte, near a Belgian town named Waterloo.

By a pre-arranged agreement, the British army, at the end of that day, was to signal back to the coast the result of the outcome of the battle via a code of smoke signals. The message would then be communicated across the English Channel and hand-delivered to the King of England in London. On the evening of June 18th, at the conclusion of that fierce battle, in which more than 25,000 men lost their lives, the English communication experts on the coast awaited the smoke signal declaring either the victory or the defeat of their army. Soon their waiting came to an end.

Over the top of a distant hillside, they were able to make out the distinctive smoke signal message from Waterloo and they began to translate it. The first word was the code for “Wellington.” The second, following soon after, was the signal for the word “defeated.” When those two words were received, a sudden shift occurred in the wind and the sky quickly filled with dark, low clouds. Now it would be impossible to receive any more smoke signal messages.

 But it seemed that they had received all that they needed. The message read: “Wellington defeated.” And so, with great sorrow, they communicated that fact across the English Channel and the message was delivered to the king in London. That night, all of England was heartbroken to receive the news that the Duke of Wellington, and his forces, had been defeated by Napoleon.

That next morning, the British agents on the coast again searched the skies for more smoke signals from Waterloo and again they received a message. It began with the same word: “Wellington.” The next word was also the same: “defeated.” But this time, with a clear blue sky overhead, there came a third word. To complete the sentence there was the code for the name “Napoleon.” You see, the correct message all along had read: “Wellington defeated Napoleon.”

Something like that happened in Jerusalem at the death of Christ. The scriptures tell us that early in the morning on the first day of the week, Mary went to the tomb of Jesus to grieve his death. The spices and embalming items indicated her intention. Her tears spoke her anguish. The message on her heart was: Jesus defeated. Death had done him in.

Now, I suppose that’s an understandable feeling. Death obscures our sight. Death clouds our vision. Death puts us in a fog and keeps us from seeing. That’s how it was for Mary — and even worse. For Jesus was more than a friend to her, more than just a loved one. He was the one she believed in. He was the one she hoped was the Savior. So, when Mary stood outside the tomb, she was convinced that it was over. Gone were her hopes for the future. Gone was her faith in God.

Perhaps that’s why when she got to the tomb, things really got confusing. For when she arrived at the tomb, the stone had been rolled away. And when she didn’t find a body inside, she assumed someone had taken it. It was more than she could stand, so she fled away. Running quickly back to the disciples, Mary told them what she had seen. “They have taken Jesus’ body and I don’t know where to find it.” Peter and John went running to the tomb to see what happened and Mary came along behind. Completely forgotten, Mary arrived at the tomb, overcome by grief.

For her, the message was clear. Jesus defeated. Dead and gone.

We’re a lot like Mary. We see all the signs and yet fail to believe. We can be surrounded by people in whom faith abounds in deeds of kindness and love, and yet fail to understand what faith can mean for us. We can sit in churches with lovely decorations. We can sing hymns of praise and prayer. We can join in Easter celebrations and go home unchanged, untouched by the miracle. Like Mary, we’re slow to believe and unable to see the rest of the message.

You don’t believe me? Then look at your checkbook, see how you spend your money. Do you pay more for television streaming apps, or spend more on a cell phone than your offering to the church? How about what you read? Do you read other books more intently than God’s word? Or how about the music on your lips? What are you singing along to nowadays?

We are much like Mary; slow to believe, slow to change, hearing only part of the message. Like Mary, we can stand at the mouth of the open tomb and still not see. We hear the words of the angels and let our lives be untouched by the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection.

Well, the good news of Easter is that God knows how hard it is for us to believe. God knows how tightly our human nature clings to this world. God knows how easily our hearts drift from faith, how quickly our lives betray us. And because of that, God sends us another message. Easter proclaims, “Jesus defeated death.” That’s the full message. That’s the whole story.

The message of Easter is that life is not over at the grave. The dead do rise in Christ, for Jesus defeated death. The message of Easter is that life does not end in darkness; life is not over when we die. For Jesus defeated death. That is the message we believe, the words that we hold true, our hope for the future, our joy of life with God. Jesus defeated death. And because he lives, we shall live also. His victory is our victory. His resurrection is our resurrection. His rising to new life means new life for us as well.

In the fifth chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus says it this way, “I tell you the truth.  Whoever hears my word and believes in God who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed over from death into life.”

It was not until Jesus spoke Mary’s name that she believed. It wasn’t until he said, “Mary,” that she recognized him. And that’s an important thing for us to remember. Faith always comes from hearing. Faith is ours when God speaks our name. Faith is dependent upon God’s word for us. It is God’s action in our lives and God’s grace in our hearts. Faith is born when we hear God.

Want to grow in faith? Then draw nearer to God’s people in worship and allow God to speak to you. Want to experience the presence of Christ more fully? Then stand closer to him and listen for him in prayer. Join us in worship, read the Bible faithfully, and bow your head more often in prayer. Stretch your spiritual muscles by reaching out in love to someone in need.

For Jesus defeated death. That is the glorious message of Easter. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are set free, free from death’s cold grip, free from our sins and wrongdoings, free to live as children of God. When Mary heard Jesus speak her name, she knew the rest of the message. That’s why she fell at his feet in worship. And that’s where we belong as well.

For you see, God’s grace has triumphed. Death’s power is gone. Death’s rule is over. Christ is triumphant. He is the Lord of Life and the Savior of our souls. Alleluia!  Christ is risen!