Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher).Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her. John 20:1-19
Our son, David has become quite involved with comedy improv. If you’re not familiar with that, let me explain. Improv is not stand-up comedy in which a performer prepares a routine in advance and then presents it in front of an audience. Improv involves a group of people and it is entirely unrehearsed and spontaneous. A few months ago when I was visiting him in Texas, his troupe happened to have a performance at the Dallas Comedy House. In the weeks leading up to it they rehearsed a lot (by the way, rehearsing how to be spontaneous had to be explained to me, but I am told that there are exercises that can increase your creativity and your ability to think quickly).
There are a variety of formats for improvisation. One of them is called “post-it.” Here’s how it works. A few audience members are asked to write single words, nouns specifically, on some post-it notes. Then the notes are collected and during the show, one of the performers picks up one of the notes, sees it for the first time, reads it aloud, and the troupe then improvises a comedy sketch on-the-spot about whatever word is on the post-it note. The word might be insurance or arugula or lumber or geranium or iced tea (that would be two words but you get the idea.) One of them thinks of something to say about iced tea and hopes that someone else keeps it going. And so, with no collaboration, no planning, no huddle for 1 minute before to discuss what to do, no time to think things through and in front of an audience (who expects them to come up with something hilarious and brilliant) they’re off. They improvise together. Frankly, it terrifies me. Preachers have nightmares about having to come up with an impromptu sermon! But in a comedy improve show, the thing that ties it all together is that post-it note that provides the basic theme that gets them started and the rest is up to the performers.
We’ve just read from the gospel of John about the empty tomb on that first Easter morning. John, of course, was the last gospel written down and if you compare the gospel accounts of the resurrection, something interesting happens. You see that story gets a little bigger each time it’s told. In Mark’s version, our earliest gospel written 20 years or so after Jesus’ crucifixion, the women come to the tomb and see “one young man in a white robe.” Then a decade or so later, according to Luke, there were two men in dazzling clothes who suddenly appear out of nowhere. Matthew says that there was a “great earthquake,” and that the women were greeted by “an angel of the Lord,” this time – “descending from heaven.” (Matthew 28:2) And by the time we get to John’s gospel, written perhaps 50 years after the crucifixion, Mary is greeted, not by a young man, not by two men, not by one angel, but by “two angels in white”. And for good measure, John throws in a cameo appearance of the resurrected Jesus, cleverly disguised as a gardener. The story gets better every time it’s told.
And for some, this inconsistency between the gospels is disconcerting. What’s going on here? How can we trust these accounts that so clearly contradict each other? Is this a “true” story or not?
Friends, what’s going on here is not contradiction. It’s something else entirely. The gospel writers are improvising! Their post-it note reads: Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! What is central, what is absolutely non-contradictory is this great truth – somehow, Jesus still lives! And like a good improve troupe, each Gospel writer takes off and throws something into the mix. And so we get dazzling white robes or cascading light or earthquakes or angels descending from heaven or Jesus being mistaken for a gardener. All of these details express a truth that transcends strict factuality. In Christ, all things are made new. Neither life nor death can separate us from the love of God. Everyone in Christ is a new creation.
I don’t know about you, but Church as I knew it growing up was anything but improvisational. There was no freedom to improvise; to figure out the finer points for yourself. The doctrines were clearly spelled out. This is what you must believe. Believe it and you’re “in,” you’re saved, you’re secure. Don’t believe it and you’re out. And I am convinced that many people this time of year, far more than are gathered in churches around the world today, want to embrace the message of Easter, that love wins and that the presence of Christ is felt today. But they’re not so sure about the rigid, socially conservative view that is too often exclusively put forth as Christian with all its doctrines and the political views.
We have some notion of what it means to be a fundamentalist Christian, a right-wing Christian, an evangelical Christian. Is there such a thing as an improvisational Christian?
The apostle Paul had improvisation down. He said, “There are varieties of gifts but the same spirit. And there are varieties of services but the same Lord. And there are varieties of activities, but it’s the same God who activates all of them in everyone.”
Did you hear that? One spirit, one Lord, one God. That’s his theme. (Do you suppose they had post-it notes in the 1st century?) Varieties of gifts, varieties of services and activities, all inspired by one God. That’s improvisation. And then Paul refines his theme with an even clearer definition, “Now faith, hope, love abide, these three gifts. But the greatest of these is love.”
Jesus does exactly the same thing. “Which commandment is the greatest?” When Jesus was asked what our post-it note should read he said, “Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.” That’s it. All the rest is commentary. Love is the theme. All the rest is improvisation. As Christians our lives are to be an improvisation on love. Love of God, love of neighbor, love of self.
There will always be times when we wish we had the whole script instead of a measly little post-it; times when we want the security of a carefully worked out script that tells us where we’re going and shows everything that’s going to happen. As a pastor, God knows there are times I wish I could put a script in your hands, ready to go. When death or sickness or heartbreaking struggle threatens to overcome; when someone asks me, “What should I do now?” my heart aches to have the perfect answer to slap in their hands.
Of course, I don’t. What I can do is keep reminding you of our major theme, what’s on our post-it note. For we may be certain that nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God. Nothing. Neither life nor death nor grief nor loss nor anything else. “What do I do now?” The answer is improvise. Do the next thing there is to do and trust that someone else will come along to add to your story; trust that love is the only thing that lasts. Walk through the doors that open. Accept the doors that close before you and trust the presence of God.
Today, on Easter Sunday, we know that love wins. That is the story of our faith. And as our lives flow on, through all of us, God is always at work in the world to bring about life from death, community from isolation, wholeness from brokenness, love from hate.
Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Thanks be to God!
