“Six Words to Make Any Story Better” by the Rev. Dr. Tara W. Bulger

Matthew 28:1-10

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, "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. Come, see the place where he lay.Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you." So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

Many years ago, I was listening to a podcast about storytelling. The two men leading the show talked about what makes a great story and, conversely, what makes a terrible story. Then one of the men said, "You know, there are five words that, if you add them to any story, it will make it a better story. Just five words." Those five words? AND THEN THE MURDERS BEGAN.

Take any great literary work, they said, and add those five words to just the first sentence, and it's automatically a better story.

Take, for instance, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Darwin:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." AND THEN THE MURDERS BEGAN.

How about the first line of Anna Karenina?

"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." AND THEN THE MURDERS BEGAN.

Or Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a large fortune, must be in want of a wife." AND THEN THE MURDERS BEGAN.

Or how about Winnie the Pooh? The book begins with an illustration of Christopher Robin carrying his bear down the stairs.

"Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head behind Christopher Robin." AND THEN THE MURDERS BEGAN.

And last, just for Brett, JRR Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring:

"When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special significance, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton." AND THEN THE MURDERS BEGAN.

See? Five words that can make any story better. 

Today, our story of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and all the hope and blessing it brings needs no extra words to make it better. After the darkness of Jesus' betrayal, arrest, torture, and crucifixion, there is good news in the dark of morning. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary are at the tomb when suddenly an angel of the Lord appears. The tomb is guarded, but in the visit from the angel, the men faint, and the women hear Good News: do not be afraid. He has been raised, as he said. The angel tells the women to go and share the Good News with the disciples.

And while the Easter story needs no extra words to make it better, six words that the Angel shares can improve any of our stories. There are six words in this text, on this Easter morning, that make all of our stories and lives better. Those six words are, "He is going ahead of you."

While the world slept, Jesus was resurrected, and he went to Galilee--there, his disciples will see him. Jesus goes ahead of them to meet them there so they may experience the hope and Good News he has to share. Death no longer holds him. New life is extended not just to Christ but to all who believe. Jesus promises to go ahead to meet the disciples, "There they will see him," and "Do not be afraid."

The promise is true for us today, as we are his disciples. Jesus goes ahead of us too. Jesus promises to meet us there--in the worry and busyness of our lives. These six words--he is going ahead of you--mean that Jesus will meet us each in the stories of our lives. Jesus goes ahead of his disciples to meet them in Galilee. Jesus goes ahead of us each to meet us in the beauty and difficulty of our lives. If you want to make meaning out of the resurrection, let it be this: because Christ has been raised, there is no future circumstance you can walk into that Christ will not be there. 

Are you still reeling from the violence and loss of life in Nashville and here in Huntsville? Jesus goes ahead of us all to bring light out of that terrible darkness and new life out of death.

Are you alone and scared? Do you wonder about your place in the world amid all its changes? He is going ahead of you to help and fill you with peace.

Are you weighed down with responsibilities and worries? Too busy to take a breath, and there is no end in sight? He is going ahead of you--to shoulder some of the burdens and give you rest.

To our youth--have the demands of sports, school, and the difficulty of friendships caused you pain? He is going ahead of you--to care for and love you unconditionally.

These are the six words that make our stories better: He is going ahead of us. There is no future in which Jesus Christ will not be there to guide and work for the good of humanity. Every one of us will walk through difficulty. We will make mistakes, and we will hurt others. And we will do beautiful things too. But through it all--he goes ahead of us, even to the end. Because of Easter, we will be loved and guided by Jesus Christ until we are welcomed into new life with him. 

He is risen. He is risen indeed. And he goes ahead of us. Thanks be to God.