Read: John 20:1-18
Early on Easter morning, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. But when she got there, the stone was rolled away. This is how joy found Mary: confused and alone, weeping and afraid, squinting into the predawn darkness and the rock-hewn tomb.
It wasn’t long until joy called Mary by her name.
It wasn’t long until she recognized it.
It wasn’t long until she claimed it as her own: “I have seen the Lord!”
Today, Easter joy is calling you by name. Recognize it. Claim it. It has already claimed you as its own.
Every victory needs a good anthem. For many Christians, especially in the Orthodox Church, the quintessential party song of Easter joy was delivered in the fifth century by St. John Chrysostom. Let these ancient words carry you into Easter:
Let no one fear death, for the Death of our Savior has set us free.
He has destroyed it by enduring it.
He destroyed Hell when He descended into it.
He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of His flesh.
Isaiah foretold this when he said,
“You, O Hell, have been troubled by encountering Him below.”
Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with.
It was in an uproar because it is mocked.
It was in an uproar, for it is destroyed.
It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated.
It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive.
Hell took a body, and discovered God.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.
O death, where is thy sting?
O Hell, where is thy victory?
Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!
Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead;
for Christ having risen from the dead,
is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen![1]
[1] John Chrysostom, “Easter Sermon,” c. 400. Anglicans Online. Accessed October 19, 2023. http://anglicansonline.org/special/Easter/chrysostom_easter.html