“Home Missions” by the Rev. Don Wahlig, April 9, 2023, Year A / Easter – Jeremiah 31:1-6 • Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 • Colossians 3:1-4 • John 20:1-18 or Matthew 28:1-10

THEME: Make disciples by sharing the good news through our example of walking with them in love.

Matthew’s account of the resurrection has as much action and drama as a Hollywood blockbuster, don’t you think? A dramatic build-up to the climax, including betrayal by the hero’s closest friends, followed by a sham trial by night, and a very public death the next day. And then a surprise ending that no one saw coming, except the hero himself.

And maybe – just maybe – two others. Two women - Mary Magdalene and Mary mother of James the disciple. The two Mary’s have been traveling with Jesus and the other disciples ever since the very beginning, back up north in Galilee. They were there when Jesus entered Jerusalem earlier in the week.  They cheered when the crowds tried to coronate Jesus as Israel’s new king. They were there at the last supper, and then later that night when Jesus was betrayed and arrested.

After all the other disciples scattered, the two Mary’s were there the next day when Jesus was stripped and whipped, and made to carry his cross to Golgotha. They were there to witness the nails being driven into his hands. Among the disciples, they alone heard him cry out, and they watched him breathe his last breath. In other words, no one was more certain that Jesus was dead than they were. And clearly no one trusted his promise to be resurrected more than they did. 

Which is why these two women are the only ones making their way through the pre-dawn light, down the steep hill from the old city of Jerusalem to the cemetery where Jesus’ broken body was taken and placed in a tomb.  But before they get there, there is an earthquake. When the women reach the tomb, they quickly understand why. An angel has rolled away the stone. Not only that, the angel is still there, waiting for them. Instantly, their shock turns into fear.

And they are not the only ones who are scared. Standing beside the tomb are two Roman guards. They have been standing watch all night. Their job is to make sure none of Jesus’ friends steal his body in order to make it look like he’s been resurrected.

Up until now, it’s been dull duty - but not anymore! They saw the angel roll the stone away and they must surely have seen Jesus emerge from the tomb. Now, the guards are petrified, looking more dead than Jesus ever was.

All this is a shock for the women. But the angel reassures them. He knows why they’ve come. And he has good news: Jesus is risen, just as he said he would be. In fact, he’s already gone ahead to Galilee. Their job is to go back and tell the others to meet Jesus there. Then, as the two women are hurrying back up the hill to the city where the others are hiding, Jesus himself appears. “Meet me in Galilee,” he says. And off he goes. If you listen carefully, you can hear an urgency in his voice. There is important work for them to do – THE most important work – and there is no time to waste.

The Kingdom is at hand. All over the world, among every people and every nation, there are lives to be shaped. Relationships to be restored. Justice and mercy to be dispensed. But hang on a minute. Why start in Galilee? I have to believe that, once the disciples heard the news from the two Mary’s, and once they got over the shock and amazement that Jesus was alive, they almost certainly asked themselves the same question. Why go back home to Galilee?

Jesus has just shown that even death can’t get in his way, so why not start right where they are in Jerusalem? Why not transform the city which is at the very heart of the Jewish world? For that matter, why not go straight to Rome and transform the Empire itself? Afterall, that’s what a powerful, conquering king would do, right?

But that is not how Jesus works. He does not influence people and events through overwhelming force or violence. Jesus has a different kind of power. It’s not coercive power. It’s relational power. There is a world of difference between those two. If you have ever served in the military or in a business or some other organization built on different levels of hierarchy, then you are familiar with coercive power. You do things because you have to, because you are forced to do them.

Relational power works very differently. The power of relationship lies in the way that it motivates us to act. We do things not because we have to, but because we want to, because we care about the ones we are doing things for and with. When your goal is to transform the world, only relational power will do the job. It takes longer, but it’s far more powerful and enduring. And the strongest relational power of all is love.

That is how Jesus works. He knows that making this world resemble his father’s Kingdom is going to require more than just 11 disciples. They are going to have to make more disciples and motivate them with love. So, the place for them to start is where they already have relationships. That means Galilee. With the exception of Judas, all the disciples and the women who follow them are Galileans. Galilee is home turf. It’s where they have lived and worked. It’s where their families and friends are. It is where everyday life happens. That is where Jesus calls them to get to work growing disciples through the power of love. Friends, make no mistake. You and I are called to do that same work as well. Jesus has sent us on a mission. Our mission is to make more disciples. And, just like the first disciples, that work begins at home – where we live and work, among the people we know and who know us.

So, let’s make sure we understand what that work really is. Disciple-making is not arm-twisting. It is not manipulating others through fear-mongering and scary images of hell. That hardly sounds like good news. Fear is a lousy motivator. It is certainly not going to inspire a life-long commitment to following Jesus Christ. Love is the only thing that will do that. Love is the best, most powerful and most enduring motivator of all. What else would inspire Jesus to go to the cross, if not love – love between him and his father, and his love for you and me? That is the good news that you and I have been given to share. 

In the risen Christ, we have access to life that really is life. We are alive – fully alive, and not just after we die, but now – in this life. We don’t just sleepwalk through our days. We laugh together and cry together, we celebrate triumphs and mourn our failures together. Together, as a faith family, we appreciate beauty and justice. We celebrate mercy and compassion. And we never do it alone, because Christ is alive and he is walking with us - today, and every day. That is the good news of Easter. And when it came to making disciples, Jesus did it the same way: with love. He got deeply involved in the lives of his disciples. He showed Peter, Andrew, James and John that discipleship can turn a bad day’s fishing into a whole new career of catching men and women for the Kingdom.

It took time. Years, in fact. Sure, there was teaching and hands-on opportunities to learn to be a disciple. And, of course, it meant putting up with their persistent failure to understand, but never did Jesus quit. His love for his disciples was clear and constant. He never, ever gave up on them, even when they deserted him.  Friends, that is what disciple-making looks like for you and me. It happens wherever home is for us. We disciple others by walking with them in love. Maybe it’s your kids. Maybe it’s your parents. Maybe it’s a friend or a co-worker. For all of them, it means never giving up on them, even when they disappoint us. Because that is what Christ does for us. And that’s good news.

Who in your life could use that good news? Whose life might you transform through the example of your own discipleship so that they, too, can share that good news? Whoever that is, you can bank on two things. First, home is where Jesus wants you to do his work. That is where you and I are to make more disciples.  And, second, Jesus will meet us there to help us do it.

Easter is here. We have good news to share. Let’s get busy making disciples to help us share it.

May it be so.