April 17, 2022 – Easter Text: John 20:1-18
When you hear the word orchestra, what do you think of? Woodwinds, brass, and strings? There is one orchestra made up of kids who play instruments made out of trash. It’s called the “Recycled Orchestra of Cateura” in Paraguay. But Cateura is not a town. It’s a slum built on a landfill.
Every day, 3 million pounds of waste is dumped in Cateura. Many families survive by scavenging the landfill and reselling. Violinist Noelia, age 16, has an instrument. Made from cans, wooden spoons, and bent forks. A cello is made of an oil drum. Another teenager plays a saxophone assembled from a drainpipe, melted copper, coins, spoon handles, cans, and bottle caps.
A few years back they made a video that went viral, and they raised enough money that they perform all over the world. They play Mozart, folk music and Frank Sinatra.
God makes music with misfits. That’s what Easter is all about.
“GOD LOVES TO MAKE MUSIC WITH MISFITS”
I’m a misfit. You are a misfit. We all fall short of God’s will and ways. But fellow misfits, it’s time to make music! What do I mean? This orchestra is made up unlikely musicians. Peter is a first chair trumpeter. He denied Christ – three times. Paul plays the violin. He used to play a religious thug who persecuted Christians. And on the harp? David. Womanizer, bloodthirsty – yet repentant David. Today, we add another misfit to make music. Her name is Mary – Mary Magdalene.
Mary begins as a mess. “Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out.” (Luke 8:2). There are five Mary’s mentioned in the New Testament her name of Magdalene refers to her hometown of Magdala. Demons? She is messed up. Can you imagine being that messed up?
Here’s how it happens. Compulsion to prove. We begin a task or job or class with high hopes. We arrive early and stay late. We are going to prove to these people. To keep at it, we stop exercising or getting enough sleep. We start to skip Bible Class and worship. Our eating habits clog our bodies. We neglect our family. “I’ll return to them after the project or the business trip or the dissertation.” People begin to see less joy in us that we can’t see ourselves. We are tired and fed up and everyone suffers.
Or it occurs like this. Life becomes a checklist. One thing after another. We live for vacation, but vacation is never long enough. People again see what we can’t see. We survive with more internet, more time on the phone, more time binging TV shows, more shopping. We go through the motions. We smile occasionally but we have nothing left in the tank. We hit rock bottom. We talk to no one. We feel like we have at least seven demons.
We are a mess. 20% of people on disability in the US of A are there because of severe depression. We are the most depressed nation on the earth. Depression amongst teenagers has skyrocketed 200% in the last decade.
Remember the Chevy Nova? My first car in fact. In Mexico it didn’t sell. It was because no va in Spanish is “no go.” That can happen to us we have “no go.” We can be as messed up as Mary Magdalene. Music? We have no song to sing.
Mary was down, but her Messiah lifted her up. He lifted her from the pit of her demons. That is why she follows Him to the cross. Mary’s Messiah is your Messiah. His faced is caked with spit and blood. His throat is so dry he cannot swallow. The Savior has no song.
This is how things stand before dawn on Sunday. There had been so much hope and promise and now nothing. The famous Rabbi? Dead. The disciples? Hiding. Other followers of Jesus? Scattered. One – Judas Iscariot – has even killed himself.
Mary Magdalene gets up early to anoint Christ’s body. But the body is not there. She weeps and then goes to tell the disciples. She sees a man she thinks is the gardener. “Please tell me where Jesus is?”
“Mary.” The voice is unmistakable. It is instant recognition, “Rabboni.” It’s Jesus. It’s Jesus. He is not dead. He has risen from the grave. He is alive. Christ is alive.
Emotions flood Mary’s heart. From the depths of grief to the heights of joy. To the shock of everyone – the Father raised Jesus bodily from the dead. Mary’s song – her symphony of celebration – commences with great joy.
Her music is a five-word song, “I have seen the Lord.” (v. 18). She has seen the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. What does it all mean? There is more to our lives than we think. Christ’s resurrection means that, like Mary Magdalene, we have a song to sing.
Remember? God loves to make music with misfits. It’s time, for us misfits to make music. I’ll take the snare drum. You take the tuba. You take the trombone. And you? What instrument will you play today? One thing we know today. We have a song to sing. We sing it with our lips and our lives. What is the song called? The song that has six words . . . and what are they? I Know That My Redeemer Lives!
Amen.