“Lo, the Stone was/is Rolled Away”

March 27, 2016 - Easter Sunday
John 20:1-10
by Bill Cotton   revcottonhill@hotmail.com
https://rustichillsfarm.wordpress.com

The culture of the old Greek/Roman world was ruled by unbelief. The Cynics, the Stoics, and especially the Skeptics of that age simply were trapped in a world with no future. The image of Sisyphus pushing that boulder up a slick and greasy hill only to have it win by tumbling back to the bottom was the image of the day. Within Judaism, we find a people trapped within a system of law that gave about as much freedom as a straitjacket.  Israel had lost contact with the God of History and the Roman Empire simply had no concept of hope.

Into this world came Jesus. And for one brief and shining moment, some, not many, caught a glimpse of another world right square dab in the middle of the hopeless old world. This new message, good news, Gospel spoken by a most unlikely voice, was quickly silenced by crucifixion. The powers of that day and today knew how to handle new creation—you snub it out—bury it and fix a millstone in place. (Note I visited Gordon Tomb outside the city wall in Jerusalem and measured one of those millstones—they do not roll away easily!) But the rumor, the gossip, the good news, just the chattering of some women, spoke of the stone rolled away. Who knows what happened, only that a new story was let loose in the world—here and there, now and then—like a fire that just keeps on burning—hope was born. A new language replaced Caesar, Christ is Risen indeed! Go and tell it everywhere—there is Good News! The stone of our stumbling has become the sure foundation of faith.

Some will say the above is too theological. And to some extent, the preacher is caught in a terrible bind. We can say, but can we really tell? Easter faith will always be more than we are able to say.  What follows is some verse that I put together for the skeptics among us. 

More Than

Easter is more than
The miracle of spring and nature’s new gift
But that is part of it.
More than
Proof of an afterlife,
Although it points to that real possibility.
More than
Psychological feelings set in a hopeful direction.
Although those feelings are there.
More than
The word that love is stronger than death,
Although this is true.
More than
The thought that God will do in death
What cannot be done in life, and God surely will.
Resurrection
Is to know where we cannot prove,
That God is on our side as giver of life right now,
As we draw our next breath.
Right this minute, eternal life is ours,
If we choose it.
Resurrection is God’s revolt against death.
The proof of the resurrection is a changed world.*

 
Prayer
God, you confound the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the skepticism of this present age. In your loving care, we live and move and have our being.  Deliver us from the fear of death, overcome us with the delight of life. Thank you for life, for love, for peace and joy—we pray in the name of Jesus, who died and rose again and now lives within our hearts. Amen
 
   *If one is inclined to use the verse, kindly credit  A Madison County Journal  by Bill Cotton, p.19, published by IOWAN BOOKS, 2011.
 

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