Easter A 2008 John 20:1-18

He’s alive, He's alive, hallelujah He's alive! One summer day during the late 90s a young army colonel of long acquaintance came to visit and spend the day with me. He was feeling a strong call to the priesthood and wanted to talk about it. He eventually went on Sewanee and is now a parish priest in Augusta, Georgia. During the course of our conversations that summer day I asked about his family and learned that his son, Eli, had died several years earlier. We have kept in touch over the years since – his email address is elisalive @----.com. There’s a father who’s truly one of the Easter people, one who knows that death is not the end of the story.

Of the three who came together to the tomb that morning, Peter, Mary Magdalene, and John, only John was the first Easter person. Peter went into the tomb but saw only that it was empty. Mary Magdalene stayed outside and did not go in. John, the beloved disciple, went in, saw the empty tomb with its rolled up linen wrappings, and knew believed that Jesus had risen.

Mary Magdalene stayed behind, still believing that Jesus’ body had been stolen. She finally looked in the tomb and saw two angels there dressed in shining white. And then she saw Jesus himself. She didn’t recognize him until he called her name. And then she saw the light. Then she knew “He’s alive!”

One day in the past year I was listening to a new CD. On it was a song titled ”He’s Alive”. I have to say that I was stunned and mesmerized by what I heard. And the rich powerful lovely voice of the sinner lent deep emotion to what I was hearing. I think it summarizes our passage from John better than anything I could write. So here it is, from Peter’s perspective:

“The gates and doors were barred and all the windows fastened down;
I spent the night in sleeplessness and rose at every sound
Half in hopeless sorrow and half in fear the day
Would find the soldiers breakin' thru to drag us all away

And just before the sunrise I heard something at the wall
The gate began to rattle and a voice began to call;
I hurried to the window and looked down into the street
Expecting swords and torches and the sounds of soldier's feet

There was no one there but Mary so I went down to let her in;
John stood there beside me as she'd told us where she'd been.
She said "They moved Him in the night and none of us knows where;
The stone's been rolled away and now His body isn't there!"

We both ran toward the garden, then John ran on ahead;
We found the stone and empty tomb just the way that Mary said.
But the winding sheet they wrapped Him in was just an empty shell;
And who or where they'd taken Him was more than I could tell.

Well, something strange had happened there,
but just what I didn't know;
John believed a miracle but I just turned to go.
Circumstance and speculation couldn't lift me very high
'Cause I'd seen them crucify Him, then I saw Him die.

Back inside the house again the guilt and anguish came;
Everything I'd promised Him just added to my shame.
When at last it came to choices, I denied I knew His name;
And even if He was alive, it wouldn't be the same

But suddenly the air was filled with a strange and sweet perfume;
Light that came from everywhere drove shadows from the room.
Jesus stood before me with His arms held open wide;
And I fell down on my knees, and just clung to Him and cried.

He raised me to my feet and as I looked into His eyes,
Love was shining out from Him like sunlight in the skies
Guilt in my confusion disappeared in sweet release
And every fear I'd ever had just melted into peace

He's alive! He's alive, He's alive and I'm forgiven!
Heaven's gates are open wide:
He's alive, He's alive, oh He's alive and I'm forgiven
Heaven's gates are open wide
He's alive, He's alive, hallelujah He's alive”

AMEN
(Ray Boltz, http://www.christianlyricsonline.com/artists/ray-boltz/hes-alive.html)