New Salvation Song Matthew 28:1-10

Sue and I are not parents, but we are proud to be Aunt and Uncle. My sister has five girls, the last two were twins.


When the twins were little, and Sue and I stopped in to visit, we could always count on some quiet time with the girls. We might be sitting on the back porch or in the family room when the twins would suddenly appear and ask if they could sing for us. It was fun. Sue and I always felt honored that they would want to sing for us. But what made these impromptu performances really memorable for me was how the girls picked their song list.


Amanda would look at Jennifer, or maybe it was Jennifer who looked at Amanda and say. Let’s sing the new song we learned.


“Which one?”
“You know.”
“Okay, you start.”
“I don’t remember how it goes,” one would say.
“Me either.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Oh, yeah,” the other would say.


And then they’d start singing.


What really amazed me about these performances was that each of the girls seemed to know half the lines, but not all of them. First one would sing and then the other would sing. By the end of each line, both girls would be singing but, it seemed that the first few words of each line were only known by one.


Sometimes they would stop and correct one another.

“No, that’s not right. It’s this way.”
“Oh, yeah,” the other would say, and then they would start again.


It was mind boggling to witness and sometimes really funny. Individually neither one could have entertained us with those songs, nor could either one have been as entertaining, but as a team, they could sing for quite a long time.

In some ways, our lives in Christ are like those two little girls singing their hearts out. We have the desire to sing, and the world needs to hear us sing, but we don’t always know how to get started. We need a partner who knows how to get us started. We turn to the people around us and say, “Let’s sing that new song we learned; you know, the song of salvation. You start.” But the person we turn to is not always confident with the words either.


Sometimes we think that singing the song by ourselves is the way to go, but then things get really confused—we tend to forget the words of salvation and sing about ourselves instead. In those times, we need to be stopped, receive correction from the choir, and start again. Sometimes we have to remember that the song is something that we have learned from someone else. That person thought the song was important enough to teach us, and, if we think the song is important, the song needs to be shared with people we know and love. (When we can sing for our families, we learn how to sing for the enjoyment of others.)


It is important to remember that this joyful singing is not necessarily something that we start out doing well. We may start by only being able to join in by the end of the line. We won’t always know the beginning. Oh yes, some of us might be natural soloists, but most of us find that we sound much better when we sing as a choir—in the embrace of friends who can cover for us when we make mistakes, or remind us of the words when we forget the song. Sometimes they can even teach us new melodies to old words. "Let’s sing the song of salvation to this tune. You start."


Today, with the two Marys we come to the tomb expecting the same old, same old. And then we feel the earth quake. Our world is shaken up by war and prejudice and poverty. We don’t have the same confidence in the world that we had a few years ago. We’re not even sure that we have the same security in the church that we once had. Our very existence in Rural America is challenged. There is a kind of despair in our old song, as we come to the tomb, and we like to sing our same old songs. They’re familiar and have a kind of comfortable security about them, but then we discover the open tomb and the words of our song begin changing.


Like the Marys, we are surprised to see that there’s a messenger sitting on a rock by the tomb teaching us the new salvation song with new words: no longer can despair and death be the statements of who we are. We learn that the old ways may not be the ways of the future but they can inform the ways of the future. “He is not here; he has been raised from the dead as he said.” The words of the past have given us a new way to sing the Jesus song. The song is not only about a wonderful man who had compassion for the less fortunate of the world, it is a song that proclaims God’s love for the world, a love so strong that Jesus’ death on the cross becomes the first note of our salvation song. “Father, forgive them.”


It is no longer a song that can be held by a few disciples, it is a song that must be sung to the world. It must be taught to the world. It must be shared with others in the way we live. It is extravagant and bold because God has been extravagant and bold for us first.


Listen, the song is clear and beautiful; it has a lilting melody that brings hope and joy to those who hear it. Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said he would be. Go quickly; sing this song first to his disciples. Here are the words, "Jesus has been raised from the dead! Indeed, he is going ahead of you to Galilee, to Brooklyn, to Brodhead, Orfordville, Attica, Magnolia, Monroe, Evansville, Janesville, New Glarus, Belleville, Oregon, and beyond; there you will see Christ in the people you meet and you will learn more new words to the salvation song." This is God’s song for you.


Today, on this day of resurrection, we learn that there is a song for us and that there is someone who will stand with us before the world to sing. Today we learn that more than knowing all of the words to the song, it is just important to sing the salvation song even if we are not sure of the words. We learn that we should sing the song for unsuspecting audiences and in doing this we will learn to sing the song with confidence; we will learn to sing in ways that encourage other to join us in our merry making. So, raise your tambourines high and get the rhythm going. For the dance is about to begin.


Yes, we come today saying, “Let’s sing a song—that new song we just learned—the one about God’s victory over death. We don’t know the beginning; so, Jesus, you start.”


The amazing thing is that Jesus does start the song for us. It is a song of sadness, "Christ has died". It’s a song of joy, “Christ is risen.” It’s a song of hope, “Christ will come again.” So, let us join the singing as we learn our song—the song that Jesus gave us—the song of our salvation.


Now have you got it. The words are really easy to learn and it has a good beat that’s easy to dance to. You start.


Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia, alleluia!