"The Day They Lost Jesus" - John 20:l-l8 - April l2, l998

I never will forget the day I lost my grandson. We were at the Dayton Mall. My wife and daughter wanted to spend some time in a particular store and I agreed to watch my 4 year old grandson. The mall was very crowded that day and I always make it a habit to observe people. In a matter of minutes my grandson totally disappeared. I was frantic, not to mention embarrassed since the responsible grandfather failed on the job. I looked everywhere, but no grandson. I went and found the women and we started our hunt. We started asking clerks if they had seen a little boy wearing a red shirt. After about ten minutes of searching I got lucky. My grandson had gone into one of his favorite children's clothing stores where they had a video in the back of the store. There he was sitting in a chair, not a care in the world. From our perspective he was lost. But, as far as he was concerned he was in a familiar place and completely safe.

Mary Magdalene was distraught and panicked that first Easter Sunday. Jesus was missing. She didn’t know what to do. She was weeping, confused, perhaps even angry since Jesus was not where he was supposed to be. We all know the feeling of panic when we lose someone who is important to us. We feel totally helpless, seeking some explanation.

Mary did what any normal person would do. She stared at the last place where Jesus was in total disbelief. Where could Jesus be? Jesus was always there for her. She had heard his messages, witnessed his ministry and she could count on him in a crisis. Now she had lost him and she didn't know what to do.

In Jesus’ place were two angels who questioned Mary’s sadness. "Why are you weeping?" they asked. Mary responds by saying "they have taken away my Lord." Mary has lost Jesus and "they" are responsible. Who are they? Are they the government, the religious leaders, the disciples or just some unknown body snatcher who have invaded a sacred space and stolen the body of Jesus?

When we have lost something it is human nature find someone to blame, or be angry at God. I remember the time my church office was broken into and several of my personal items had been taken. There was a picture of my family, a desk set, my college diploma. What would anyone want with these things? Who could be responsible for such an evil deed? The break-in broke my spirit. I was distraught over the loss of my possessions. Why would God let this happen? I told a church elder what had happened and he told me not to be so anxious. The church may have been broken into but that didn’t mean God loved us any less. I had to do a little letting go and quit trying to figure out who was responsible. Two months later, a member of the church was driving in the country. She noticed some articles along the road. There in the ditch were the articles taken from my office. It wasn't that my stuff had been found, but I had been found. I was lost in worry, anxious about nothing.

Had Mary really lost Jesus? Is God missing when our lives aren’t going the way we’d like them to? In the Easter story we never find out who took Jesus from the tomb. That’s because there is no "they". Not only is there no "they" Jesus is not lost. He is standing right behind Mary. Jesus says one word to her, "Mary" and Mary sees him. Mary heard a comforting and familiar voice. She was totally overwhelmed that Jesus was missing. She was lost in her anxiety. But then she found her missing teacher, she found the Lord.

Jesus is missing in our lives when we are preoccupied with the "theys" of this world and we are lost when we are anxious about missing stuff. Sentimental things are no match for the presence of Christ in our lives. We are lost when we are blaming others for the things that happen to us. We are also lost when our lives are filled with guilt. We are lost when we live in fear. We are lost when we are filled with sorrow and hopelessness. We are lost when we listen to the wrong voices. We are lost when we are totally unaware of the presence of God.

In the book, "Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul," there is a story by John Powell that tells a compelling story about a college student who lost God. It happened in his Theology of Faith class. A student by the name of Tommy constantly objected or smirked at the possibility of an unconditionally loving God. At the end of the course he said in a cynical voice, "Do you ever think I’ll find God?" His answer was an emphatic, No! Tommy got about five steps from the door and he called out, "Tommy! I don’t think you’ll ever find him, but I am certain that he will find you!" Tommy just shrugged and left.

Later he heard that Tommy had graduated but had terminal cancer. The professor had thought about him a lot, but before he could search him out, Tommy came to him. They talked about his illness and Tommy said, "It could be worse, I could be 50 years old and have no values. But, what I came to see you about is something you said to me on the last day of class. You told me that I would find God and I’ve thought about that a lot. And when my cancer got really bad I took that question very seriously. I really struggled but nothing happened. I decided that if God didn’t care about me I would do something more profitable. I thought about your lectures especially when you said, ‘The essential sadness is to go through life without loving.’ But, it would be equally sad to leave this world without telling those you love that you have loved them. So, I went to my Dad and told him. He cried and we hugged and we talked all night even though he had to go to work the next morning. Here I was in the shadow of death just beginning to open up to all the people I had actually been close to. Then one day I turned and God was there. He didn’t come when I pleaded with him. Apparently God does things his own way at his own hour. The important thing is that you were right. He found me even after I stopped looking for him."

The surest way of finding God is not to make him a private possession or an instant consolation in time of need, but rather by opening up to love. Jesus is known to us when we cease being anxious and listen to his voice. He is always with us, even when we think he’s missing. Mary lost Jesus because she was seeking a body and not his spirit. His body was gone, but his spirit was with her right there in the tomb. I lost God because I was consumed with losing my stuff and lost my faith when mygrandson came up missing. Just as Jesus was with Mary, God was with me.

Jesus is not lost. Jesus is here. He is always here in the form of love, or the spirit of peace. He is here when faith and hope abound. It is we who are lost. God does not hide from us, we hide from God. Nothing, not even death can keep God hidden. That is what the resurrection is all about. God is never missing. God is always clsoe by listening, caring, always present. And just as he knew Mary and called to her he knows each of us as well.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio