The Empty Plate
(A Casserole Supper sermon – fifth in a series of five)
Mark 16.1-8
Easter Sunday 2009
Dr. Matthew M. Fry

As we continue to experience The Word of the Lord together, Let us Pray. Give us, we pray, O God, thoughts higher than our own thoughts, prayers better than our own prayers, powers beyond our biological possibilities, that we may spend and be spent in the preaching and hearing of Thy Word. Amen.

Through lent, we have been traveling down the line at the casserole table. We started at the desert table with Strawberry Shortcake. We went to the hors d’oeuvres section and had some deviled eggs. Which is to say that you had deviled eggs, while I walked right past to the bucket of fried chicken, where we went next. Then we last left each other at the green bean casserole. During lent, we have taken scriptures and talked about them in light of the casserole supper table, in looking forward to the casserole breakfast that we had this morning. Today, we look at the often overlooked item in the casserole supper meal, the thing that holds everything up, the paper plate.

So, hear now The Word of the Lord as it comes to us in the gospel of Mark. Listen. Mark 16.1-8.

1 When the sabbath was over, 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 They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" 4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." 8 So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

The Grass Withers, The Flower Falls, but The Word of The Lord endures forever…Thanks be to God.

Happy Resurrection Day. Today we celebrate new life. We celebrate the fact that the power of death has been limited, and it has no dominion over us. We live into a new reality, full of brand new possibilities. Thanks be to God for the wonderful gift of resurrection.

I am often the one who is asked to announce the official start of any casserole supper or breakfast, as today’s case may be. “Do you think we’re ready?” is a question I get asked, as if it is some sort of theological matter. I am the one upon whom it is incumbent to decide that things are all in order, that the food is in place, the drinks and ice and cups are out, that napkins and plates and bowls are where they need to be, and that it is time for a prayer. I don’t usually do all those preparation things, but when they are done the powers that be, meaning the people on the Life and Nurture Committee usually, look at me like I am to approve and say the blessing so that we can all eat. It is a great privilege.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Two of my favorite parts of the casserole supper are the moments right before the prayer and right after, when folks have stopped running around, and are quiet, well as quiet as you get here at NPC, and I look and see the table prepared and ready to feast, and I look at the empty paper plates, and I think of all the possibilities for my meal. How much lasagna will I get? How many different kinds of pasta salad? What kind of vegetables are those? Ohhh, that smells good, wonder what that is.

The endless possibilities of the empty plate are a pure delight.

We were once captives to selfishness, pettiness, small mindedness, pride, greed, and violence, just to name a few of the things we call sin. Our plates were full of the things that lead to death, that are marked with personal destruction, that lead down the paths of darkness. Yet, in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we too are resurrected. We are left with wonderful new and endless possibilities, a clean slate, a fresh plate. That is a pure delight.

How many chains do you lug with you? Where are you trapped? Where are you bound? We all have some areas of our lives where we are lugging around chains, where we are trapped, where we are bound. Some times in our lives there are more of those chains than others, but we’ve all got some. One of the goals of life, one of the reasons we exist here on earth, is to learn how to be fully human, to be the creatures we were created to be. And we were not created to be chained, trapped and bound. We were created to be free. When we move from this world to the next, when we move into full fellowship with God and all of creation in the Kingdom of God, we will be free. What joyous freedom! We will be completely and totally free from the hindrances that we place in our own ways. Amen? Amen.

So, for us in this world here and now we are called to get used to freedom, to get used to the freedom that comes from being unchained, untrapped, unbound. We are called to train ourselves for it, to prepare ourselves for the unencumbered and total freedom that we will know in the fellowship of the kingdom of God.

And so today we celebrate resurrection, and the freedom that resurrection brings. God, through Christ, has shown that death is not as strong as life, even though in this world just the opposite would seem to be more true. Because God is life, and because God is Lord over all creation, life has to be stronger than death. And that is exactly what is made known at the empty tomb, and what we celebrate on Easter.

Where is there freedom in your life? Where have you left behind the chains, the trappings, the bindings that once held you? Wherever that is, wherever those places are in your life, those are the places where you have experienced resurrection. Those life affirming places bring about greater contact with our Creator, God.

Many people will admit to being afraid to die. I’ll tell you that I number myself among them. I don’t want to leave my wife or daughters, because the journey with them has been too rich, too full. So rich and full has it been that I don’t want to miss one single second. Many people will admit to a fear of death.

But here’s the thing. I think most folks are really more afraid to live, afraid to take chances, afraid to continually strive to be a better person and live better lives. So we make and find a comfortable routine, and we settle down in it. We are just content to be chained, trapped and bound by how the world works, culturally accepted levels of normalcy, how others view us, whatever. We are afraid to let resurrection be the story of our lives, and we stay in our own tombs.

Live. Today and everyday, live. Set aside the chains, the traps, and the bindings that have long been with each and every one of us. Come out of your tomb, today and every day. Celebrate life that is stronger than death. Amen.