Saint Luke's Lutheran Church

AT&T has a new ad campaign out which features the ampersand in the company's name. Perhaps some of you have seen them. The ads talk about the power of "and." In one of the ads, we are shown quick clips of people excitedly sharing their good news. First, a man talks about getting a promotion - and a private office! One woman brags about getting tickets to a sold out concert - and getting a back stage pass. Another talks about her shopping trip - a designer bag, three pairs of shoes and all on sale. The message: "'And' brings it all together."

In another ad, we hear about various open-ended scenarios: A mother says, "We left grandma with the kids, and . . ." A man packing up his office says, "I told my boss about my big idea, and . . ." A little boy looking at a glass cage for some kind of reptile says, "Fred got out, and . . ." The message: "The conversation never ends with 'and.'"

Yes, "and" does have the power to keep a conversation going and bring it all together. That is no more true and no more clear than today, for Easter is God's great ampersand. Easter is God's cosmic "and" to the Passion of the Christ and to the human condition. Easter brings it all together: the cross and the empty tomb, Jesus' death and his resurrection.

It began very early on Sunday morning. After faithfully observing their Sabbath day rest, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women who had come with Jesus from Galilee made their way to the place where Joseph and Nicodemus had laid Jesus' lifeless body just before sunset on Friday afternoon. They made their way slowly and silently - still stunned by all that had happened the past week and overwhelmed with the emotions of standing at the foot of Jesus' cross and watching every last drop of life drain from his body. They walked along hardly saying a word - pondering all that they had seen and heard and processing deep and feelings of grieve and loss.

They were on a mission - a mission of love. They came with embalming oils and aromatic spices - expecting to provide their teacher with a proper burial. They were surprised to find the grave already opened, the large stone which had sealed the entrance was rolled to the side and the tomb was empty. This was not what they had expected. It left them confused and wondering what had happened to Jesus' body. While they were wondering, two men in white appeared suddenly out of nowhere.

"Why do you look for the living among the dead?" they asked, suggesting that the women were looking for the wrong thing in the wrong place. But how were they supposed to know that? They saw Jesus die just three days earlier. They watched Joseph and Nicodemus take his body of the cross and lay it lifeless in the tomb. Why wouldn't they expect to find that body right where they left it? Why wouldn't they expect Jesus to be as dead on Sunday morning as he was on Friday night? So the question from the angels seems a little harsh.

But nothing is quite what it seems on Easter morning. The angels' question is fair enough because Jesus had told them, while he was still in Galilee, that he would be crucified and then rise to life again on the third day. They were looking for the living among the dead because they had forgotten all about what Jesus had told them. Once the angels reminded them, then they remember, and they hurried back into Jerusalem to tell the rest of the disciples.

But let's not be too hard on these women. The men didn't do any better. None of the other disciples seemed to have remembered what Jesus had told them in Galilee either. And even when the women came back from the tomb on Easter morning to tell them what they had seen, they didn't believe. It all sounded like a lot of nonsense to them.

Well, we are not like those first disciples. We came here this morning expecting to hear a resurrection story. We knew that the tomb would be empty, and that we would dust off the "Alleluia" and lift it up in words and song. We already knew all about the "and" of Easter, and we believe. Isn't that right?

Or is it? We may remember the promise of the resurrection today, on Easter Sunday. But what about tomorrow? What about the rest of the year? Are there times when like these first disciples we forget all about what Jesus told us and find ourselves confused and wondering what it's all about? Are there times when we have more questions than answers?

What about the times when we too wonder whether it is not all an idle tail. Times when we wonder whether this world isn't just an accident of nature, times when we wonder how God could become a human being, or how God could die on a cross. Times when we wonder how a dead man could come back to life in three days?

These are the times when we need to hear the "and" of Easter. This is when we need to remember that God created the heavens and the earth and reconciled the world to himself. This is when we need to remember that God loved the world and gave his only son. This is when we need to remember that it was necessary for Jesus to suffer these things, and to rise from the dead.

What about those times when we wonder and worry about our life here and now. Times when we feel alone - separated from friends and family, abandoned even by our God. What about those times when we are afraid of what might happen or worried about how we will make ends meet or confused about what we should do? What about those times when the doctor says, "It's cancer," and the words slam into our stomach and take our breath away. What about the time when two airplanes are turned into guided missiles and the twin towers of the World Trade Center are reduced to rubble by a terrorist plot? Are these times when we wonder where God is in our lives and in our world? Times when we wonder whether God really hears our prayers, or cares about what happens to us?

These are the times when we need to hear the "and" of Easter. This is when we need to remember that Jesus rose from the dead, and he is still with us. This is when we need to remember that Jesus rose from the dead, and intercedes for us. This is when we need to remember that Jesus rose from the dead, and he will work all things together for the good of those who love him.

What about those times when we wonder about the future. Times when we make our way to the cemetery to visit one we love, and the grave is not empty but still holds a cold and lifeless body? Times when the whole world seems to be coming apart at the seams? Times when our life seems to have no purpose and no meaning? Are these times when we cannot help but wonder whether this is all there is? Times when we wonder whether there is any real hope?

These are the times when we need to remember that Jesus rose from the dead, and therefore we too will be raised up on the last day. These are the times when we need to remember that Jesus sits at the right had of God, and rules all things on our behalf.

So when you see one of those AT&T commercials about the power of "and" or when you see any kind of ampersand, let it remind you of Easter and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For the real power of "and" comes not from local or long-distant communication, but from remembering - remembering what happened that first Easter, and remembering what Jesus said it all means. This kind of remembering makes sense out of the past, gives power for the present and offer hope for the future. The empty tomb is not enough. When the women saw the empty tomb, they did not shout, "Christ is risen." And when Peter found it empty, he did not shout, "He is risen, indeed." The empty tomb without the interpretive word of God leaves us confused and wondering.

But the "and" of Easter brings it all together. The "and" of Easter helps us to see that death is not the end of the story. This "and" goes on from one cemetery to another, from one generation to another, from one Easter to another.

And that is why we are here. Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. Jesus lives, and he is with us here and now. Jesus lives, and we will live also. Jesus lives and the conversation will never end. Amen.