Robin McGonigle

University Congregational Church

April 17, 2022

Learn to Live by Dying!

John 12:20-24

John 20: 11-18

Our Easter text for this morning is from the gospel of John 20: 11-18:

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord;” and she told them that he had said these things to her.                                                                            John 20:11-18

As you may know, the Phoenix is a legendary bird known for its ability to live hundreds of years before dying in a burst of flames only to be reborn from the ashes. Variations of the legend exist in folklore throughout the world, and it is a common figure in popular culture today.

According to the most common myth, the Phoenix was a brightly colored immortal bird-like creature, like an eagle or a peacock, which lived in Paradise. After about a thousand years, the Phoenix grew tired of immortality and desired to move on, so it left Paradise for the mortal world. However, even in the mortal world, the Phoenix could not truly die. It built a nest and waited for the sun to rise. As the son god dragged his chariot across the sky, the Phoenix sang a song so beautiful that the sun god stopped to listen. When he resumed his journey, a spark fell from the sky and ignited the nest, consuming the Phoenix. Three days later, the Phoenix was reborn from the ashes to live another thousand years.                                                      Curioushistorian.com “Legend of the Phoenix”

As it has been Holy Week, I have been thinking about all things that lead from death to life.  Many of us have lived through enough seasons to recognize the rhythm of death and life in…

It makes sense that death precedes new life, but it still can catch us off-guard.  Jesus taught this lesson just before he died.  It is recorded in the gospel of John 12:20-24:

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.      John 12:20-24

We all have a choice in how we live. It seems so simple when I say that statement, but the next time we are fried from a long day at work, taking a child to a doctor’s appointment, then coming home to things that must be done — it would be beneficial to remind ourselves, exactly, how we want to live our lives.  Are we allowing the grain of our life to die enough that it will end up bearing fruit?

Siblings Justin and James fought throughout their childhood years.  Nothing changed in college as they continued to fight for their parents’ affection and attention and for the #1 place.  Eventually, Justin decided to let it go.  For reasons he did not share, he decided his unhealthy rivalry with his brother needed to end.  He chose to let the need to be first and to be unconditionally understood to die.  It opened a completely new relationship with his brother, James.  Surprisingly, it also changed his relationship with his parents too!  Justin could tell anyone here that if you really want to live – try dying! This is what resurrection means.

Morrie Schwartz said, “The truth is, once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”  It is not a morbid statement.  It is a wise way to look at life. I do not want to think about death any more than anyone else does. But it is a part of life we must accept.  How do you live your life, to the fullest, with gratefulness, appreciation for those you love, value the tiny moments you are present in, and pursue your true meaning and purpose in life if you do not have an idea of what you want your life to look like? How do we put the resurrection principle into our daily lives?

Take a moment to think back to our traditional text about Mary Magdalene weeping outside the tomb.  It is in your bulletin if you want to remind yourselves of the details.  This was a life altering moment for Mary.  She was at the foot of the cross with Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary the wife of Klopas.  We can infer that because her introduction consists only of her name, the story’s original hearers already knew who she was. 

Mary, standing outside, is weeping because grieving is the proper role of women in their culture. When Mary looks into the tomb, she sees two heavenly messengers.  This is the first hint that the possibility of grave robbery has given way to some heavenly realm.  Peter and the other student do not see heavenly messengers. They ask, “Lady, why are you crying?” To which Mary responds once more that the body is missing. Grave robbery was a normal occurrence in that time.  Resurrection was not.

Jesus speaks her name, “Mary.” Naming shifts the story towards the Genesis creation story where God calls creatures into life by naming them. Mary recognizes Jesus at the sound of his voice.  “She turns around and exclaims in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’ (which means ‘Teacher’).”  Turns around? I thought she was already looking at Jesus and thinking he was the gardener. “To turn” is often used as a metaphor to turn towards God.  This is when Mary learns to live again because Jesus has died!  Along with Jesus, this was her resurrection day. This was the day she started a new life!

Jesus commissions Mary to “go to my brothers and tell them this: ‘I’m ascending to my God and your (plural) God.’” Here Jesus stresses mutuality and equality. He is not superior, but a brother.  Mary announces Jesus’ message to the students.  Just when she thought her life was over because of Jesus’ death, he gave her a new voice!  She became the first one to announce his resurrection – to the disciples, no less.  Scholar Brandon Scott calls this the Mary Magdalene Easter!

                        Westarinstitute.org “Mary Magdalene Easter” by Brandon Scott

Life, death, and new life.  Throughout our lives, we experience many small deaths and renewals as we grow into our true selves.  Resurrection means transformation.  As we die into new life, we grow into the people God would have us to be.  We become a resurrection people: a people of rejoicing, a people of hope, a people of journey and becoming.

Whenever you face a moment of death in your life – whether it is a child moving to college or the release of a friendship or the closing of a business or a job – take a moment to think about what opportunities lie ahead for a new life. This is not always easy given the very real struggle and suffering that come along with the death of something.  But let us be a people of journey and becoming, living into the fullness of love without constraint, life without fear or hate, and life without end. Let us be a people who sing Hallelujah even as we travel.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “No one really knows why they are alive until they know what they’d die for.”  How do you want those you love the most to see you? What impact do you want to make on your friends, family, and those around you? Is this not worth examination to help fuel a better soul within?  It is possible to live the life we choose by our actions each day.  What will Jesus resurrect in you today?