Sermon (03 SOP, 2016) The smell of the

This morning the Myrrhbearing women , Mary the mother of James, and , they go to the tomb of three days after the , and they bring with them and spices with which to anoint the body of the dead Christ.

And we know that the body has already been anointed once before for burial. We are told that the buys a large mixture of myrrh and aloes -- St John in his says that Nicodemus brings 75 pounds of these burial spices -- and that he and take down the body of Christ from the cross, they wrap the body in fine linen, they anoint the body with those spices, and they place the body in a new tomb.

And the myrrhbearing women come this day to complete the job. has ended, and the day has come. It is time to finish preparing the Lord’s body for its rest in the tomb. And so they bring spices – spices most likely left over from Holy Friday by Nicodemus.

But the Lord we learn is no longer in the tomb. An greets the women with the words that Christ is risen! That He is not here! He has risen as he said, and He now goes before them to meet his disciples in . And the women who came to anoint the body of Christ now have a new job. Go, says the angel, go and tell the good news of the resurrection to the Apostles.

And this is what they do. They are scared at first. But they leave the empty tomb, they no longer need the costly spices, and they become the first preachers of the good news that has risen from the dead.

… I have a question though. I have a question that bothers me. Those spices. Those spices brought by Mary, Mary, and Salome. The sweet myrrh and spices brought by the women to anoint the body of Christ. What happened to them? Have you ever asked yourself that question? What happened to those spices?

On the one hand. Jesus was not there. And so the spices were not used on his body as planned. On the other hand, the spices were very expensive. They were bought by the wealthy Nicodemus, and the women we know were not wealthy in slightest. There’s no way they would leave the spices behind. They would for certain take the spices with them. The spices were valuable.

Whatever happened to the spices carried to the empty tomb by the myrrhbearing women?

… I have a theory. I have a theory and going to convince you that my theological opinion is true.

[Taking bottle of Holy Chrism from the Tabernacle.] Q. Does anybody know what this is?

[Invite children forward to smell.]

This is Holy Chrism. This is the sweet and fragrant oil that is sent to us by the bishops of the Church and we use Holy Chrism at the sacrament of Chrismation. When a baby is baptized, or when an adult member is received into the Church, we anoint the body of the new member with this sweet smelling oil. The Holy Chrism is the seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit upon those received into the Church. This oil is used because the Apostles are no longer around to lay their hands in prayer on the heads of the newly baptized.

And this bottle of Holy Chrism was made during 4 years ago by the Metropolitan of our church. It contains Olive Oil and between 50 and 60 other ingredients, things that are sweet and fragrant to give it the wonderful smell it has.

Now, to make NEW Chrism, you always begin with OLD Chrism. Your pour the old Chrism into the new Chrism as a sign of the connection we have with the holy oil that came before.

But guess what, the Old Chrism … at one point … was new Chrism. And when it was made 10 years ago, the process started with even older chrism, Holy Chrism that was made maybe 20 years ago by the bishops. And that old Chrism was made from even older Chrism, which was made from even older Chrism, which was made from even older Chrism, and eventually we got our Holy Chrism from the Church in Russia. And the Church in Russia got her Holy Chrism from the bishops of the Church in Greece and Constantinople. *** But even their old Chrism was made from even older Chrism.

Eventually, as you trace this history of making new Chrism from older Chrism all the way back to the beginning, you get to the very first bishops. The Apostles and the Church in Jerusalem. And as I said, the Apostles used to welcome new members into the Church by baptizing them, and then by laying their hands on the newly baptized and giving to them in this way the gift of the holy spirit. But as the church grew the Apostles couldn’t be everywhere, and so holy oil was used instead of the hands of the apostles. The Holy Oil becomes for us the hands of the Apostles.

**** But at some point, in the first few years of the Church, somebody had to make the very first vessel of Holy Chrism. And to do this, they needed two things. They needed olive oil. And guess what … they needed spices.

*** Now if you need spices to make an oil which replaces the hands of the Apostles, those spices should be very special spices indeed.

And if you were the Apostles, and if you wanted to make sweet smelling myrrh to anoint the bodies of new believers, and if you had access to the very spices which have already touched the Body of the dead Christ Himself … spices already used by Joseph and Nicodemus at the burial of Christ … spices left over and unused by the Myrrhbearing women after they learn the news of the Resurrection … would you really settle for anything less?

If you had the spices that anointed the body of Christ, would you send someone down to the farmer’s market to pick up something fresher and more recent. No way. Not a chance.

The first Holy Chrism made by the Apostles is made from the unused spices brought this morning to the empty tomb by the Myrrhbearing women. Spices that have already touched the body of Christ, sweet spices that have already perfumed the dead body of Jesus as Joseph and Nicodemus laid him in the tomb.

And boys and girls, brothers and sisters, those spices are with us today. This bottle of Holy Chrism, because of its connection with the very first Chrism made by the Apostles, this bottle still contains the spices with which our Lord was anointed.

Boys and girls, that sweet smell you smelled just a few moments ago … this is the smell of the empty Tomb. The linen sheets no longer needed by the risen Lord would have been covered with these same spices. The sweet smell of the Chrism today is the same sweet smell present in the empty Tomb when then angel announced the resurrection of Christ. This is the smell of the gospel. This is the smell of God’s victory over death.

And there’s more. Not just the burial linens, but also the body of Christ, at His burial, was anointed head to toe with this sweet smelling oil. And this same Body, the Body of our Lord and God Jesus Christ, this same anointed and perfumed body now sits at the right hand of God.

This is the smell of the empty Tomb. But this is also the smell of heaven itself. The smell of the Body of Christ, enthroned and glorified.

That makes this little bottle something special. It is a divine gift of cosmic proportions.

The spices offered to the Lord by the Myrrhbearing women are now offered to us.

The Lord no longer needs to be anointed for burial … But we do.

And what was laid on His body is now laid on ours.

The resurrection of Christ is now the beginning of our resurrection as well.

And the sweet smell of the Lord’s empty tomb now becomes the sweet smell of our own entry into the joy of the Kingdom.

The fear of the Myrrhbearing women this day is transformed into joy. Joy that comes from the good news that Christ is risen from the dead, and that death Has no power over the One who chooses in love to give Himself up for the life of the world.

The fear of the Apostles this day is changed into boldness. Boldness to proclaim the gospel that Christ has destroyed the power of death.

The sadness of the tomb is now drowned out by Archangels announcing that Christ is not here, Archangels announcing that Christ is risen.

And the wrenching smell of death and decay -- all that is dark and threatening in life -- all of that is now overwhelmed by the sweet fragrance of paradise in full bloom.

This day, the Myrrhbearing women offer Christ the sweetest of spices, and this day Christ in turn offers the sweetness of His resurrection to us. To you, and to me, and to all who dare to believe that Christ stands with the weak. He stands with those held captive by sin and sickness and death. He stands with those who have no hope, who have no strength. He stands with those unloved and unvalued by this world.

The fearsome cross this day becomes a Throne of Glory. The oil of death becomes the oil of resurrection, sealing in us the power of the life-creating Spirit.

Brothers and sisters, this day and from this moment, accept the gift of your Chrismation. Receive the sweet smelling Kingdom in which nothing separates us from the love of God. Breathe deeply the incense of the empty tomb.

Do not reject what the Lord offers. He offers Himself. And those who are anointed for burial with Him are also raised with Him into new life.

Taste and see and smell that the Lord is good!