Easter Sunday | "A Miracle After Midnight" 6PM | Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III

49:50 I would like to ask that the dance ministry would return along with their choreographer. You all were magnificent. Absolutely magnificent. Absolutely magnificent. for all of your hard work, your commitment to ministry and excellence. We honor you and what God is doing through you.

50:35 Absolutely beautiful to witness. Before we go to the Lord in prayer, I'm going to ask that the media team would bring up, I believe they have, it's two pictures that you have, because we want to acknowledge several people. That is in the Wright Chapel. They're packed out back there. We just acknowledge you. We say we see you. We thank God for you.

51:04 We know that they're packed out in the atrium. We praise God for you. For those of you who are in the back, we want you to know that we love you. We honor you. We thank you for worshiping with us on today. on today. And so we appreciate it. So this is what I need you all to do in the atrium and in the right chapel. I need you all to make some noise so we hear y'all in here. Y'all go ahead and make some noise in the back. We're listening. We're listening. A little louder, a little louder, a little louder. Open the door so we, ushers, I'm not gonna say shut the doors, open the doors, open the doors, open the doors. Okay, y'all making some noise. One more time, back there. There we go, there we go, we can hear y'all.

51:58 Y'all can let a breeze in. I'm not going to tell y'all to shut the doors around here. A couple of y'all got that. A couple of y'all got that. Immediately following the benediction, if you would be so kind as to give a brother... All I need is... Amen. Amen. Let us go to the Lord in prayer at this moment. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and see if there is any destructive way in me. When you discover what does not belong, I ask, O God, that you would remove it and cast it into the sea of forgetfulness. As far as the east is from the west, that it may never return again.

52:53 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight. O Lord, you are my strength. Without a doubt, you are certainly my redeemer. Holy Spirit, do thy will. Do thy will, Holy Spirit. We offer this prayer in the mighty, magnificent, beautiful, majestic, liberating, healing name of Jesus who is the Christ and the people of God who love God may say amen.

53:31 We invite you at this moment we want to take a look at the gospel according to John. John the 20th chapter the gospel according to John. I'll be reading from the new revised standard version. And I'm going to give a couple of translations from the OM3 translation. Hopefully be out in next year. Amen.

54:06 Beginning with verse 1, it reads this way, New Revised Standard Version. Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him. Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in.

55:04 Then Simon Peter came following him and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head. Not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not understand the scripture that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes. But Mary, but Mary, 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.

56:08 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 saw and said to him in Hebrew Rabbonah which means teacher Jesus said to her do not touch 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.

57:28 Let me give another translation. Mary went and preached to the disciples. I have seen the Lord. And she told them that he had said these things to her. And Mary preached to the disciples, I have seen the Lord. While it was still dark, Mary came to the tomb. While it was still dark, Mary came to the tomb. May the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of God's holy word. You may be seated in the presence of the Most High God. I'd like to put a tag on this text for the moment that we have together on this Resurrection Day.

58:30 I'd like for us to focus on this idea of a miracle after midnight. A miracle after midnight. If you'd be so kind as to turn to your neighbor, just look at your neighbor. Even if your neighbor doesn't look at you, just look at the side of their head, whatever it may be. and say neighbor, oh neighbor, there is a miracle after midnight. You could find another neighbor. Maybe the same one. Say neighbor. Neighbor. Oh neighbor. Oh neighbor. Mary. Mary. Went to the tomb.

59:21 Went to the tomb. While. While. It was still dark. A miracle after midnight. I would ask that you would just flank a brother with your prayers on this day.

59:43 It is early in the morning after midnight, after the midnight hour. Mary Magdalene is recorded by the Gospel of John going to the tomb. Going to the tomb, not more than two days prior she had witnessed the death of her teacher, her rabbi the savior, the one we call Jesus. She had witnessed the death of this revolutionary, dark-skinned, Palestinian rabbi by the name of Jesus. Mary Magdalene is recorded by the gospel according to John as the lone committed believer, making her way to the grave of this dark-skinned, revolutionary, Palestinian rabbi by the name of Jesus.

1:00:53 Mary's ministry is of great historical significance, Reverend Raquel. Well, Mary's act of devotion, when read today, is theologically subversive. Mary Magdalene is clearly a person of moral courage and prophetic witness. If I may for a moment lift up Mary before us as I believe that there is, there is no Easter in its fullness without the ministry of Mary Magdalene. This woman by the name of Mary is, this woman by the name of Mary is, not might be. but this woman by the name of Mary is not could be. This woman by the name of Mary is not argued by a couple of scholars but this woman by the name of Mary is a disciple.

1:01:56 This will frustrate and annoy those who float in the manosphere of podcast clout chasers and those who are wrapped their faith within the fragile glass containers of western evangelical narcissism. Mary is visiting the tomb of a man who was framed by the state, the state of Rome. As a matter of fact, he was framed and was joined by some paid informants, a COINTELPRO program from Rome. His own community set him up. And Jesus not only was framed then, but Jesus is still being framed, or in the words of Dr. Raphael Warnock, he is the victim of the greatest identity theft in modern history. Jesus is still being framed.

1:02:57 For this administration keeps pulling Jesus out like a mascot to affirm things Jesus ain't never affirmed. Jesus does not celebrate the death of children. Jesus does not advocate for war or genocide. Jesus does not advocate against diversity, equity, or inclusion. Jesus never advocated to cut Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security. The Jesus I know is concerned about the poor, the widow, the orphan. The Jesus I know is speaking to those who have their backs against the wall. Mary, but also what makes this interesting is the contrast. Jesus was framed by Rome, but Mary was also framed by the descendants of the Roman Empire. This person by the name of Pope Gregory the Great in 591 A.D. gave a homily called the 33rd homily where he defined Mary as a prostitute.

1:04:06 He mistakenly or intentionally, I don't know which one, defined Mary as the unknown sinful woman in the Gospel of Luke. And for hundreds of years after that, within the Catholic canon, Mary Magdalene has been thought of as a prostitute, literally framed for a crime she did not commit. One person framed while living. Another one framed after they die. One woman framed after her death. Mary, because of her commitment to Jesus. And there is Mary, while it's still dark, comes to the tomb of Jesus. Nothing but stars to light her path, possibly the reflection of the sun to give resonance to our steps. This is an act of devotion, a demonstration of love for the person who acknowledged her leadership. Mary is a disciple.

1:05:07 Mary is the apostle to the apostles. Mary holds the Miriam and Deborah endowed chair of preaching for sisters in the wilderness. Mary is mentioned 12 times in scripture, the second most prominent acknowledgement of a woman next to Mary, mother of Jesus. Mary is not someone's sister. Mary is not somebody's wife defined by what the man does. Mary is not a widow or defined as being someone's mother. Mary is a woman who is a disciple committed to the ministry of Jesus. Her name is Mary Magdalene. The title suggests that she's from a fishing village called Magdala on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Mary was from the west side.

1:06:02 her title suggests she is a woman of means and authority and respect mary is a disciple mary magdalene is a disciple and defined as the apostle to the apostles for anyone who dares study homiletics it must be acknowledged that mary this mary is the first human being in history to ever preach an Easter sermon. Please pass this on to all of your evangelical brethren and the Manosphere mavens of the podcast universe. It was a sister who taught the world how to preach resurrection. I stand today, not in the tradition of Peter, not in the tradition of Paul, but I stand today to preach on Easter in the tradition of Mary who witnessed a miracle after midnight.

1:07:02 The duty of this woman by the name of Mary, the duty that she carries in the dark, the duty to carry out her commitment when no one is watching. She found strength. Even though she was moving in the dark, she found strength. This Mary was not unlike many Marys in this house who carry on in spite of the dark that you're dealing with. You have a duty to those you love, a duty in the dark. You bring spices and incense. You change the atmosphere and flavor of everything you touch, making sure the body is taken care of. This woman had a duty in the dark. We are dealing with dark moments in this nation. It is Chance the Rapper who lifts this up when he says, now it's train police and it's school police. It's going to be police at the balloon release.

1:08:02 Being real, that's business as usual here. Look alive, you could die at a funeral here. It's a lot of complaints, but we just don't follow. Open case, shut case still won't solve them. The judge said, what? I don't see no problem. The world says, yep, that's the Negro problem. in the dark, caring for what looks like a lost cause, in the dark, rising before dawn, trying to make a dollar, in the words of Tupac, out of 15 cents, in the dark, you have a duty, no one is there to cheer you on, in the dark, no one to bless your service, no one to acknowledge your sacrifice, no one to celebrate your commitment, no one to pat you on the back, no one to lean on, no words of encouragement, no cheers from the sideline. You have to do it in the dark, but yet you do it anyhow because you have a duty. While it's still dark, Mary came to the tomb. While it's still dark. Mary shows up, not unlike so many other Marys, not unlike black people who keep coming to the tomb in the dark. Whether their name is Mary McLeod Bethune, Mary Pleasant, Mary Church Terrell or Stagecoach, Mary Fields, we keep coming to the tomb of American democracy knowing that we've got to bring some spices and incense to make sure that the smell and the stench does not take over our bodies nor our hope. We keep showing up even though it looks like a lost cause among many of us but I stop by here to just shout out a couple of our ancestors to say thank you for moving in the dark, for having a duty in the dark, for showing up in the dark. When everybody else said there was no hope, you still showed up in the dark to ensure that children that are not yet born

1:10:12 will be blessed. We keep coming to the tomb in the dark. Mothers and fathers come to the tomb still committed after the world has declared you dead somebody keeps showing up anyhow after everyone else said you cannot be resurrected somebody keeps showing up anyhow after everyone said that the prayers will not work they keep showing up anyhow and I don't know if I'm talking to someone that are you not glad that there was somebody who kept showing up after everybody said it's not possible it will not be resurrected no miracles will happen is there a witness in here are you a beneficiary of somebody that did not give up on you that had a duty in the dark.

1:11:24 Mary had a duty even though it was dark. Here is the thing that you must understand that I pass on this day. She had a duty in the dark. She was showing up in the dark. She came to the tomb in the dark. But one must understand this. She didn't start her spiritual practice when it got dark. She had been practicing in the day. Our spiritual development begins in the day with a practice that allows us to get through the dark. Don't wait till the sun goes down to start looking for the Lord. You need to have a practice in your life before the sun goes down. Your spiritual practice is one that is unyielding when the light is good.

1:12:21 And that every one of us who come into this space, every single person, when you make it through the dark into the light, I don't care what your experience was throughout the night. There is a spiritual practice known as saying thank you. that if you woke up this morning, no matter if you couldn't sleep last night, it does not matter how much noise was outside or you had sleep apnea, you didn't feel good, but if you get one more day, there's something known as spiritual etiquette. Etiquette means you got good home training. It means somebody taught you how to say thank you. And I'm here on resurrection morning to find out if anybody has any home training up in here.

1:13:23 That you know that we serve a God who gave you one more chance. Then somebody in this house ought to have enough sense to open up their mouth and say thank you to our God. No matter what you've been through, no matter what you've been through,