This is the end of the Gospel of Mark. 16:8 is the end of
the story – over time, people have been so troubled by this ending that they
added on other bits and pieces. But this was it – the women fled and said
nothing because they were afraid.
We know this cannot be true –otherwise, we would not be
here. We would not know anything beyond the death of the most perfect human
being who ever lived. We would think that God had died then and there. We would
not know the rest of the story, as the great Paul Harvey used to intone.
We will spend lots more time in Mark over the summer in
Ordinary time. Today we are at the very end – no resurrection appearances, no
road to Emmaus, no Ascension. This is the end – and this is the gospel dealt to
a preacher this Easter morning. I could have gone the easier route, but that
seemed to be cheating in year B.
If you remember, it was not that long ago when we talked
about the birth story in Mark. Remember? “This is the beginning of the good
news of Jesus Christ.” Mark’s entire birth story – right there. In Mark, Jesus
arrives on the scene as a grown man, ready to be baptized by John. Maybe Mark’s
whole intention is to only begin the story – and this ending is merely the end
of chapter 1. Maybe Mark intends us all to complete the story with our own
lives?
The women went to the tomb to honor the body of Jesus. With
the news of the resurrection, they fled in fear. Fear of the supernatural? Fear
of a love so great that even death could not restrain it? Fear of a God who
loves us so much that we are all welcome – any time – no matter what? How about
the fear that may have crept in when they had time to think about it all? The
fear that Jesus meant what he said about healing and caring for the least, the
lost and the last? The fear that his
words about the last supper on Thursday night were true? This is my body, this
is my blood: they went to honor the body, and maybe realized that they were
meant to become the body.
We are Resurrection people. We believe Christ was raised
from the dead – conquering death forever. We believe he walked around among us
again bodily until he ascended into heaven. We also are Eucharist people. We
believe that every time we eat the body of Christ and drink his blood, Christ
is resurrected in us – he lives through our hands and feet and actions in this
world. We are the uprising of hope and healing to this hurting world.
On this day, I challenge you all to get over your fear of
being Christ in the world. I challenge you to tell your story of meeting Christ.
I challenge you to heal and tend to the least, the lost and the last that God
has placed in your path and in your heart. Go be Easter People! Amen.
