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Remember
(Luke 24: 1-12)
(A Sermon preached April 7, 2007 at University United Methodist
Church, East Lansing MI by Kennetha Bigham-Tsai)
Remember me? I am the woman, bleeding for 12 years—outcast like a leper. No
one would touch me. No one would speak to me. No one would meet my eye. But one
day, I followed him with the crowds. I reached out my hand to touch his robe.
And I was healed. “Daughter, your faith has healed you,” he said to me
(cf. Mat. 9: 22). He met my eye. He spoke to me. He touched me. He validated my
faith. Do you remember me? Well now, I am here at the tomb. And I bring the
spices of my memories. For in my memories is the source of my faith.
My memories connect the past with the present and so increase my faith. I can
look back in the past at what Jesus has done for me—on how Jesus has touched me
and been present with me. Then I can know that Jesus is still touching me
today—that Jesus is still with me today. In this way my memories connect
Christ’s past acts to God’s present work in my life. My memories are the spices
of my faith that I bring to the tomb.
Remember me? I am the widow whose son was dead, (cf. Luke 7: 11-15). My child
was my hope, and I loved him. Yet there he lay dead, and I was lonely and
bereft. I wall full of despair. I was without hope. Then Jesus came and he
touched my child, and the breath of life entered him. The breath of hope entered
me. Do you remember me? I too am here at the tomb, and I bring the spices of my
memories.
In my memories is the source of my hope. Because my memories connect my past
with my future and give me hope. When I remember what God in Christ has done for
me in the past, then I can have hope for the future—hope and faith that my
never-changing God will always be with me to help me and to heal. My memories
are the spices of my hope that I bring to the tomb.
Remember me? I am Simons Mother-in-Law, (cf. Mat. 8: 14-15). I lay in that
bed for weeks racked by illness—sometimes not knowing where I was or even who I
was. Then Jesus came and sat at my bedside, and he touched me. And I was raised
from near death. I was raised to a call to service and to ministry. I was raised
to life of loving God. Do you remember me? I too have come to the tomb with the
spices of my memories.
In my memories is the source of my love, for when I remember what Christ has
done for me, I love him. I love him, and I worship him, and then I begin to
learn to love and to serve others because I know that we are all together part
of Christ—and that he calls us to love and service so that the world will know
that we are his.
Because I love Christ, I have learned even to love and serve my
enemies—because I know that I was once an enemy of God—that I was part of the
crowds that shouted “Crucify him!”—and still he loved me enough to sacrifice
himself for me. And so I remember him and his sacrifice, and I love, and I
serve. Yes, my memories are the spices of my love for Christ and for the whole
of creation. I bring these spices of love also to the tomb.
And here at the tomb is also Mary Magdalene and Joanna and the other Mary and
all of the other women. We have brought the spices of our memories. With our
memories, we will anoint his body, because in our memories is our faith, our
hope and our love.
We have come to anoint our Jesus, yet he is not here and the angels have told
us that he has been raised from the dead. “Why do you look for the living
among the dead,” one of them said. “He has risen. Remember what he told
you,” (Luke 24: 5-6).
Yes we remember what he told us, and we remember what he did for us. Do you
remember? Do you remember when he looked at you and acknowledged you and then
said that your faith had made you well? Do you remember when he touched you and
raised you from the dead of despair? Do you remember when he told you that he
would provide for you? Do you remember when he lifted you from your bed and then
called you to serve? Do you remember what he has done in your life?
Then, do you remember when he said that his body would be broken for the
forgiveness of your sins? Do you remember when he said that his blood would be
spilled to give you new covenant of hope? Do you remember when he said that
sinners would crucify him, and that he would die--but on the third day he would
be raised from the dead? Do you remember when he said that you would be raised
with him? Then, do you remember his words, “I will never leave you nor
forsake you, I will be with you to the end of time”? (cf. Heb 13:5). Do you
remember?
You must remember. We must remember and bring our memories, which are the
spices of our hope, faith and love. We must remember and bring the spices of our
memories with us—but not to the tomb--for Jesus is not here. We must bring the
spices of our memories with us and take them into our daily lives and into the
lives of others. We must anoint our lives and the lives of others with the good
news that Jesus Christ has risen--and so our faith is alive--our hope is
alive—our love is real and alive--for God is alive in our lives--Christ has
risen in us, and the glory of his light shines upon us. Remember! Let us take
our spices and go from this place so that we can anoint the world with our
memories. And let us take the light of Christ with us.
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