“A ROLLING STONE GATHERS NO FEAR”

MARK 16:1-11

16:1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.

2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.

3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”

4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large.

5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.

6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.

7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”

8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

It’s called a crisis of confidence. That’s when you doubt yourself and your ability to handle a problem.  When was the last time you had a crisis of confidence?  Maybe you’re experiencing a crisis of confidence right now.  If you are you could do what one woman did every time she faced an overwhelming problem. One day she shared her coping strategy with one of her friends. “It’s simple,” she said.  “My therapist insists that the way to achieve inner peace is to finish what I start.  So far today I’ve finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake and I feel better already.”

I’m a firm believer that chocolate can work wonders but chocolate doesn’t make your problems go away. After the sugar high wears off the problems will still be there. Sometimes those problems can lead to a crisis of confidence.

That was true for the women who went to the tomb that morning.  They were experiencing a crisis of confidence.  It was a big change from what they were feeling a week earlier. That’s when Jesus rode into Jerusalem and the people welcomed him with shouts of “Hosanna!”

People were excited because they were convinced that Jesus was going to usher an era of peace and prosperity.  They were also convinced that Jesus was going to be a leader who cared about the little people like them.  The women saw that the day after Jesus entered Jerusalem.  That’s when he walked into the Temple and sent the money changers running for cover.  Jesus turned their tables over and shouted those famous words.  “It is written ‘My Father’s house shall be a house of prayer’ but you have made it into a den of robbers.”  Jesus was furious because the moneychangers were taking advantage of people who were poor.

Back then the future was looking bright.  All of that joy came to a sudden and shocking end though when Jesus was arrested and crucified on that Cross. That’s why the women were experiencing a crisis of confidence as they made their way to the tomb.  You can see that crisis of confidence in the question that one of them suddenly asked.  “Who will roll away the stone for us?”

It’s was a good question.  Who will roll away the stone for us?  That was a really big stone.   So, we can’t do it ourselves and the guards aren’t going to do it for us. 

We also can’t ask the disciples to help us.   They’re back in the Upper Room hiding and feeling sorry for themselves. Who will roll the stone away for us?

The women that morning were experiencing a crisis of confidence.

I wonder how many people today feel the same way the women felt that morning?

I wonder how many of you feel the same way the women felt that morning?

Let’s see.  655,000 people lost their jobs last month. Three million people lost their homes last year.  Now you may have dodged those two bullets but what about your retirement savings?  If you’re like most people you’ve watched your 401(k) and other investments nose dive over the last few months. 

If all that isn’t enough to make you reach for the Excedrin the world situation isn’t much better. The war in Iraq seems to be winding down but the conflict in Afghanistan looks like it’s going to be with us for awhile. The polar ice caps are melting.  North Korea just launched a long range missile.  Iran is still enriching its uranium and the turmoil in the Middle East doesn’t seem to be getting any better.

If you’re experience a crisis in confidence I can assure you that you’re not alone!

So, what do you do when it feels like your world is crumbling around you? The best thing you can do when things are looking down is to look up.  The women found that out when they got to the tomb. When they got there they discovered that the stone had been rolled away.

God rolled the stone away and God didn’t do that so Jesus could get out. Jesus didn’t need anyone to roll the stone away for him.  I say that because we know that the risen Jesus was able to materialize out of thin air.  That’s what Jesus did when he appeared to the disciples in that Upper Room.  The disciples were hiding behind locked doors when suddenly Jesus appeared to them.  Now there isn’t any evidence in the gospels that Jesus was an expert when it came to picking locks. So, the only conclusion is that he materialized out of thin air. 

So it’s really simple. God didn’t roll that stone away so Jesus could get out of that tomb.  God rolled that stone away so the women could get into the tomb.  God rolled the stone away so the women could see that the tomb was empty.  God rolled the stone away so the women could hear the angel tell them that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead.

The angel said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.”

The women left the tomb that morning with fear and trembling but they also left the tomb with a new found confidence.   It was a confidence in knowing that God’s love isn’t the sentimental kind of love that you find in a Hallmark card.  God’s love is strong.  God’s love is stronger than sin.  God’s love is stronger than death.  God’s love was strong enough to raise Jesus from the death to everlasting glory.  God’s love was also strong enough to roll that stone away from the tomb. 

What that means is that when you experience a crisis in confidence you can do one of two things.  You can do what the disciples did.  They didn’t go to the tomb that morning.  They stayed behind in the Upper Room and because they did that they continued to wallow in what I call the three W’s.  That’s weep, wailing and a woe is me attitude.

The women on the other hand went to the tomb and because they did they found healing and hope.  They found a confidence that God’s love is greater than sin and death and anything this old world can dish out!

That confidence can be yours but you have to go to the tomb and keep going to the tomb.  The more often you go to the tomb the more you’ll see God’s love at work in the world around you and in your own life.

A pastor saw the God powerful love at work one day when he visited an elderly woman in a nursing home. At the end of the visit the woman asked the pastor to pray for her.  “Certainly,” the pastor said.  “What would you like to ask for in the prayer?”  “Oh,” the elderly woman said.  “Please ask God to strength so I can walk again and go home.”  The pastor wasn’t sure if elderly woman was ever going to be able to go home again but he wanted to honor her request. So, he took her hand and prayed and prayed and prayed some more. When he was done the elderly woman’s face began to glow.  Then she slowly got up out of her wheelchair.  Then she took a few tentative steps. Then she began to jump up and down.  Then she ran down the hall turning cartwheels and shouting at the top of her lungs. The pastor watched in utter amazement.  Then he hurried out to his car, got in, grabbed the steering wheel and shouted: “Lord, don’t you ever do that to me again!”

Now I can’t promise you that God’s love will work like that for you but I can promise you this.  If you go to the tomb you will be blessed.  You will be blessed with a love that will bring you to the gates of heaven and everlasting life.  You will also be blessed with a love that is strong enough to get you through any of the problems that may be doing a number right now on your confidence.  Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

April 12, 2009