Sermon Seeds: At Early Dawn

Sunday, April 20, 2025
Resurrection Sunday | Year C
(Liturgical Color: White)

Lectionary Citations
Acts 10:34-43 or Isaiah 65:17-25 • Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 • 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 or Acts 10:34-43 •
John 20:1-18 or Luke 24:1-12
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?z=s&d=42&y=384

Focus Scripture: Luke 24:1–12
Focus Theme: At Early Dawn
Series: Building Up a New World (Click here for the series overview.)

Reflection
By Cheryl A. Lindsay

The phrase “at early dawn” reads like an obvious redundancy. Isn’t dawn, by definition, early? Dawn is defined as the time of day when the light of the sun enters the view before the sun becomes visible on the horizon. What could make a portion of that time earlier than another?

Last year, the Earth experienced a total solar eclipse. That happens when the moon completely obscures the Sun from view. Living in Cleveland, I benefited from nearly four minutes of the total eclipse. Beyond the stunning moment of total eclipse, I was struck by how even a sliver of sunlight illuminated the sky. The moon moved relatively quickly across the sun during the eclipse, dawn seems to tarry a bit more as it unfolds. The church I pastor shares an Easter Sunrise Service with the local United Methodist congregation. We schedule it so that we are already worshipping as the sun rises. We begin in darkness and pause when the sun breaks the horizon. For the last two years, we have stopped in silence to watch the sun rise. It is awe-inspiring and a much slower transition than the moment of eclipse. Still, there is a moment when the light of the sun first breaks through. I think of that as early dawn.

After Jesus’ violent crucifixion, Luke 24 opens with the softness of dawn. Women resume their solemn task, delayed by Sabbath, of anointing Jesus’ body (23:56). Quickly, mysteriously, their unenviable but compassionate task is canceled, and incidents pile up for an eventful day. The stone—unmentioned earlier—is rolled away. “The” stone (24:2), with the definite article in its first reference, may presume familiarity with the tomb story or may be a cultural presumption that a stone would close the tomb. Jesus’ body is absent. Two men (later called “messengers,” angeloi, 24:23) in clothes shining like lightning startle them (24:1–4). The men ask a succinct question and jog memories: “Why are you seeking the one who lives among the dead? He is not here but has been raised. Remember what he told you.” With the declaration “he is not here,” the tomb loses significance (Green 1997, 836). For the women and Luke’s audience, an empty tomb does not mean resurrection, and the messengers must interpret it by recalling Jesus’ passion predictions (24:5–7). “He is risen” (24:5 NRSV) is a divine passive. “Has been raised” is preferable. Resurrection is God’s act. The women’s task is redefined. They had sought one who was dead among the dead….But when the women remember, the predictions belong to their community just as to Luke’s audience.
Robert L. Brawley

Imagining the response of the early disciples, which included the women, is like imagining the response of ancient humans to the total solar eclipse without the scientific knowledge and predictions to prepare them for it. Their fear, uncertainty, and confusion occur as a predictable and rational response to an extraordinary event. These women do not shrink and hide, however, they remember what they have been told and incorporate this new event into their understanding. In the remembering, they recognize the teaching they received needs updating. They quickly share the good news with the other disciples who mostly disregard their experience. Only Peter, in this account, hears the news with hope and faith in the possibility that what these women have said is believable.

To be fair, it is an incredible tale, yet for Peter, this revelation must have reached him like answered prayer offering him an opportunity for personal redemption and restoration. After his disappointing performance at the cross, Peter rushes to the possibility of the empty tomb. Their horror may turn to awe; their weeping may become rejoicing; and their despair may transform to new action. Still, the empty tomb does not signify a complete story or a sure turn in their favor. All the elements of the women’s story conspire to rewrite the narrative from burial rites to the dawn of a new day.

After the Sabbath, a cadre of women disciples—Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, and others—return at daybreak with freshly prepared spices to anoint the body of Jesus. This procedure, normally done by women, is different from the Egyptian custom of embalming. The aromatics are used to counter the stench of a decomposing corpse. Imagine the horror when they find the tomb open and empty, which in and of itself is not an iron-clad proof of Jesus’ resurrection. Tomb robbery may have accounted for his disappearance, but what robber would steal the body and take the trouble to remove the linen cloth wrapped around it? An answer finally comes from two dazzling angels, who chide the women for seeking a living Jesus among the dead. They also remind them of Jesus’ earlier predictions, which referred not only to his suffering but to his vindication (Lk 9:22; 18:32-33).
Diane G. Chen

Jesus had been tried and found guilty by the state of a capital crime. He was sentenced to death by crucifixion, a particularly cruel method of execution designed to terrorize, brutalize, and humiliate. He was left to hang on two joined trees while stripped of his clothes and all semblance of privacy, modesty, and dignity. He was abandoned by most of his companions and vilified by those also victimized by a corruptible and corrupted system, which he came to liberate them from. Despite his efforts, the people acquiesced to the pull of the crowd, the manipulation of their leaders, and their own ignorance rather than wrestle with the morality, truth, righteousness, and justice considerations involved with condemning, torturing, and killing an innocent person just because their message ran counter to the comfort and schemes of the privileged and powerful.

What need does Jesus have for vindication? Yes, he was branded a criminal and treated as such. Yet, the resurrection does not serve as a reversal of his sentence or an acquittal of the accusations levied against him. He did not win an appeal that enabled him to go free.

If anything, the resurrection confirms the veracity of the charges the religious and political leaders brought against him. They labeled him king, and Jesus proved themselves sovereign over death and life.

The Gospel of Luke emphasizes that Jesus is not only the Messiah of Israel but also the Savior of the world (Lk 2:30-32; 3:5-6)…. In particular, Luke highlights Jesus’ compassionate ministry to the nobodies, be they poor, widowed, laden with illnesses and diseases, demon-possessed, sinful, ostracized, or despised. Tax collectors and Samaritans are featured as the wrong people doing the right thing in Jesus’ interactions and in his parables (Lk 5:27-29; 7:29, 34; 10:29-37; 17:11-19; 19:1-10). By contrast, religious leaders such as the scribes, the Pharisees, and the temple authorities who reject Jesus and his message will receive severe judgment (Lk 5:20-21; 7:30, 39; 13:14; 15:1-2; 20:1-47; 23:1-5). Indeed, the ethos of God’s kingdom is completely countercultural, promising to lift up the lowly and bring down the elite, rewarding humble-hearted faith and punishing prideful self-righteousness. In the end, following Jesus on a path of suffering is daunting, but for those who persevere in faith, the reward and glory in the life to come will far outweigh the temporary hardship of this life.
Diane G. Chen

Resurrection is both ending and beginning; it is inherently transitional in nature. In the same way, this moment in the gospel narrative marks the transition from Jesus to their disciples. Note that in the Lukan account of the resurrection, Jesus does not appear. Several disciples are named, including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James (among other women), and Peter. The men mentioned in the story are messengers not an obscured manifestation of Jesus. The story at resurrection begins to feature followers of Jesus as the lead characters in the Jesus movement. They will be the ones to move the message forward, and that has always been the point. Jesus’ vindication comes when those who claim Jesus follow them and continue the ministry.

Peter’s denial proved particularly significant not just as his personal shortcoming, but as indicative of a failed mission to empower and equip disciples for the bold proclamation of the Holy One’s promise of liberation, redemption, and jubilee. When he hears the news from the women, he hears the drafting of his own resurrection story. He runs not just to find Jesus, but to come back to himself and the commitment that he made to the movement. The women are not only the first to proclaim the good news; they are also the first to begin the transition from apprentices in the movement to leaders. Peter literally follows their path as he seeks revelation at the tomb.

The concluding chapter of the Gospel thus brings closure to the narrative of Jesus’ life and ministry, not least by making sense—via a fresh reading of Scripture through the lens of the passion—of his messianic vocation culminating in suffering and death. Even more prominently, in a way that is unique among the NT Gospels, the Easter story in Luke prepares for the continuation of the story in a narrative sequel (Acts). As the Gospel closes, significant narrative threads and expectations remain unrealized, especially (1) the full rehabilitation and Spirit-empowerment of the apostles, including the restoring of the full complement of the Twelve; (2) the response of Jewish people and leaders to their witness; (3) their mission to the nations and the opening up of God’s realm to Gentiles; and beyond the Acts narrative, also (4) the fall of Jerusalem and the temple’s destruction and (5) the eschatological return of Jesus. In tandem with Acts 1, then, Luke 24 builds a bridge from the mission of Jesus to that of the disciple-witnesses, which will extend the work of Jesus—as with Jesus’ ministry, under the direction and empowerment of the Spirit—to the farthest reaches of the earth (cf. Green 832). This momentous transition begins with the return of women disciples to the tomb, to complete the burial rites that will honor their deceased Lord.
John T. Carroll

The transition begins at early dawn. It only takes a sliver of light to illuminate the sky and reveal the truth. Every mystery does not get solved. Not every obstacle is overcome. In fact, they will face new and eventually increasing challenges as the movement inaugurated by Jesus grows in scale and enlarges in territory. More powerful and privileged people feel threatened and respond from scarcity, cowardice, and greed.

On the Day of Resurrection, sabbath has passed and the sun is revealing its face. In Hebrew tradition, the day ends and begins at dusk, when the sun goes down and it’s time for rest. Dawn is not the start so much of a new day but a signal that it’s time for the work to begin. Jesus is alive…has risen. Yet, they do not lie about the empty tomb but continue the journey of reclaiming creation for the kindom, liberating humanity from the oppressive systems of empire, and implicitly inviting their disciples, then and now, to do the same.

Reflection from Voices of People of African Descent
The 33rd General Synod adopted a Resolution to Recognize the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024). As part of its implementation, Sermon and Weekly Seeds offers Reflection from Voices of People of African Descent related to the season or overall theme for additional consideration in sermon preparation and for individual and congregational study.
Each new hour holds new chances
For a new beginning.
Do not be wedded forever
To fear, yoked eternally
To brutishness.
The horizon leans forward,
Offering you space to place new steps of change.
Here, on the pulse of this fine day
You may have the courage
To look up and out and upon me, the
Rock, the River, the Tree, your country.
No less to Midas than the mendicant.
No less to you now than the mastodon then.
Here, on the pulse of this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister’s eyes, and into
Your brother’s face, your country
And say simply
Very simply
With hope—
Good morning.
— Maya Angelou, “On the Pulse of Morning” excerpt
https://poets.org/poem/pulse-morning

Building Up a New World Liturgical Resources
Building Up a New World Liturgical Resources written by Dr. Sharon R. Fennema, who serves as Join the Movement toward Racial Justice Curator with UCC National Ministries.
Book Chapter: “Power Analysis for Powerful Congregations”
Book Quote:
“Jesus of Nazareth was a brilliant community organizer who built collective power. He began at the margins, tending to those most impacted by the toxic power of the occupying Roman empire. He transgressed boundaries that were racial, geographical, religious and class-based, and formed a coalition across difference, even including some who were complicity in upholding the status quo. After building relationships with the people, hearing their stories, tending to their pain, and preaching a vision of liberation, he turned to face the center of toxic imperial power to challenge the roots of oppression alongside the people” (51).
Theme Notes:
The resurrection revelation to Mary continued Jesus’ practice of upending expected patterns of power. We can learn from his example how understanding, analyzing and addressing the flow of power in our communities is an organizing practice that can help us create more justice and true solidarity.

For Further Reflection
“It is easy to forget now, how effervescent and free we all felt that summer. Everything fades: the shimmer of gold over White Cove; the laughter in the night air; the lavender early morning light on the faces of skyscrapers, which had suddenly become so heroically tall. Every dawn seemed to promise fresh miracles, among other joys that are in short supply these days. And so I will try to tell you, while I still remember, how it was then, before everything changed-that final season of the era that roared.” ― Anna Godbersen
“You are the trembling of time, that passes
between vertical light and darkened sky,” ― Pablo Neruda
“We went down into the silent garden. Dawn is the time when nothing breathes, the hour of silence. Everything is transfixed, only the light moves.” ― Leonora Carrington

Works Cited
Brawley, Robert L. “Luke.” Gale A. Yee, Ed. Fortress Commentary on the Bible: Two Volume Set. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014.
Carroll, John T. Luke. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012.
Chen, Diane G. “Gospel of Luke.” McCaulley, Esau, Editor. The New Testament in Color: A Multiethnic Bible Commentary. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2025.

Suggested Congregational Response to the Reflection
During the season of Easter, the suggested congregational response will come from the All Church Read Group Engagement Guide found on Frontline Faith.
As you go about your days this week, give your power mapping skills a try. Start by just trying to notice the power dynamics at play in a committee meeting, a family meal, a work gathering, even a book group! Ask yourself:
• Who has power in this situation? (Remember, it can be more than one person!) What kind of power do they have (Hidden? Stated? Other?)?
• Who are they accountable to? Who are they responsible for?
• How and when is power being used? By whom?
• How would what you’re noticing about power in this group impact attempts to effect change in this group?

Worship Ways Liturgical Resources
https://www.ucc.org/worship-way/resurrection-sunday-c-april-20/

The Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay, Minister for Worship and Theology (lindsayc@ucc.org), also serves a local church pastor, public theologian, and worship scholar-practitioner with a particular interest in the proclamation of the word in gathered communities. You’re invited to share your reflections on this text in the comments on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SermonSeeds.

A Bible study version of this reflection is at Weekly Seeds.