Peter Gomes, who I think is one of America's finest living preachers, says that "... the Resurrection is God's way of getting our attention. It's God's way of making us listen up, God's way of getting us to look, to listen, and to live."

I like that assessment, and Matthew's account of the empty tomb, more than the accounts of the other three Gospel writers, adds substance to this assessment. We just heard that God begins Easter with an earthquake. "Suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men." God knows how to get our attention! Isn't it interesting-same experience by two groups of people: the guards fall over like dead men, and the women leave quickly-with fear and great joy-to tell the disciples the good news!

Fear and joy-that's what has my attention today. (I'd add the word "anxiety"). That's what on my mind! Fear, joy and anxiety-doesn't that describe the very essence of our lives?

If we just thought about our congregation, our church synod, our community, certainly our country. And on a more personal level, family life, our marriages, our health, our economic conditions. What event, what dream, what conversation, what moment of our lives does not hold the tension of fear, anxiety, and joy? I suspect there are very few such moments! This tension in which we live, too often defines who we are!

As we hear in this Gospel text from Matthew, there is another way so as not to be controlled and defined by our fears and anxieties, as when the two Marys leave the tomb quickly and are able to take hold of what has been given them and run with it!

One of the many profound lessons, I think, of Maundy Thursday is that, to whatever degree Jesus knew of his impending death (talk about fear and anxiety!), his knowledge did not diminish his compassion, his desire to become servant. Similarly, one of the profound lessons of Good Friday is that, even in the midst of excruciating suffering on the Cross, Jesus could look with loving concern to his mother and the disciple whom He loved, asking them to care for each other.

One of the multiple blessing of Easter faith is to live life, running with what we have been given, even when we find ourselves not totally understanding, not even completely sure where we are headed, but like the two Marys, coming to know that life in the power of the empty tomb is what sustains us, even and most especially, when we are fearful and anxious.

"Do not be afraid...." We hear it twice in the Gospel, once by the angel and once by Jesus: "Do not be afraid." These are the empowering words of Easter. We hear these words so very often throughout all four Gospels. All four Gospels were written after Jesus rose from the dead. All four Gospels are testimonies to Easter life!

Freedom from fear (anxiety)-not freedom from death-is the achievement of the Resurrection. The greater curse than fear of death, I believe, is the fear of life, those who dare not embrace the fullness of their opportunities for living because they fear to fail or fear to succeed, those who live "...measuring life out in teaspoons." Such defensive living is not the stuff of Easter faith. As Easter Christians we are called to embrace life, with our fears, our anxieties, our great joys-all lived together!

Certainly Jesus has conquered death, but more certainly, Jesus has redeemed life so that you and I can live freely-risking ourselves to caring, and forgiving, and mending, and standing up against all the forms of death in our lives today. Jesus affirms the Good News that life is worth living now, here, in all of its fullness, but also, in all of its ineptitude, with all of its tragedy and sorrow.

There is a powerful image in one of the Harry Potter books that speaks to the tension of joy and fear in our lives. In the book, The Prisoner of Azkaban, there are creatures called "dementors." These dementors live by sucking the life and soul out of people. Isn't that what fear does? Isn't that what anxiety does to us? In the book, a person's only protection against these dementors is by recalling a happy and joy-filled memory that is more powerful than the fear that one has for these dementors. Harry has a difficult time conjuring up such a memory until finally, he is able to focus on his parents, who died saving his life. It is Harry's memory of the self-sacrificing love of his parents that enables him to overcome his fear of these demented, death-dealing creatures. What a powerful Easter image because, in fact, fear and anxiety do steal life and love from us, only to be overcome by the sacrificial example and love of the Risen One.

One final assurance from today's Gospel I'd like to share. This assurance is that even if we have not totally let go of our fears, Christ still is "going ahead of you," and where Christ has gone, we are to follow.

Jesus went to the cross...Jesus went to the grave...Christ goes ahead of us into the future-as the one who will yet forgive sins, as one who feeds the hungry, the one who makes peace, washes feet-as the one who will yet raise the dead.

The tension between fear and joy will always be the story of our lives, as in the lives of the women at the tomb. I guess, because of this tension, I think the greatest inherent danger of Easter is that we will walk out of here today, still carrying both our fears and joys-which is okay-but we will walk out of here not really believing in the Resurrection to the point where we are confident of new life.

Therefore, before you leave today, I appeal to you to claim the resurrection as your way of living! A wonderful way to do this would be when you come forward for Communion, make your "Amen" a convincing affirmation that the Resurrection has absolute your claim on your life.

When you dislike someone because you fear the cost of loving, claim the resurrection as your way of living! When you hesitate and stand still because you are afraid to move on, claim the resurrection as your way of living! When you are afraid and cautious because you might look foolish, claim the resurrection as your way of living! When you are told that your destiny is shaped and determined by your past mistakes and you are afraid to look toward the future, claim the Risen One as your future, trusting that God in Jesus Christ walks with you.

The Risen Christ goes before you to Galilee, to Gettysburg, to Littlestown, New Oxford, Fairfield, Biglerville-wherever you are headed when you leave this church this morning, the Risen Christ goes before you!

Do not be afraid! Go and tell others! Do not be afraid! Amen.