This Sunday I will be celebrating Easter with the wonderful people of St Nicholas’ Church, East Grafton. You will be very welcome to join us for the Holiest Sunday of the year.

I wonder if, like me, your Easter celebrations tend to be focused around food?

We are very particular about Hot Cross Buns, which cannot be eaten before Good Friday, and then they have to be home-baked. Perhaps you are planning a special lunch today with Roast Lamb and all the trimmings, maybe a glass of bubbly or two, and, of course, lots of chocolate. Will the table be beautifully laid with clean white linen, fresh spring flowers and other Easter decorations? Will you use serviettes?

The primary function of a serviette (or napkin in the US), is to keep your Sunday Best clean: placed upon your lap the serviette will catch any drips or fork spillages, tucked into your neck it will protect your shirt and tie from gravy or custard dribbles. There is however, a code that accompanies the use of a serviette. If it is scrunched up and thrown down upon the table it indicates that the diner has finished eating and the waiters, servants, or hosts, are able to clear the table. However, if the serviette is placed neatly by the side of the plate, it means the diner has left the table for just a moment, and will be coming back.

In today’s gospel reading we hear the amazing story of how the female disciples, in particular Mary Magdalene, return to the tomb in order to anoint Jesus’ broken body with scented oil and with all their love. However, as the tomb comes in sight, Mary cannot help but notice that the seal has been broken, the huge stone has been rolled away: someone must have got there before her. Fearfully, Mary returns to the disciples in order to get back up: Peter, the one who had tried to protect Jesus but ended up being reprimanded for cutting off a servant’s ear, Peter, the only one courageous enough to follow Jesus and the soldiers to the courtyard when the other disciples ran for their lives, now runs ahead of Mary. John, often referred to as ‘the one whom Jesus loved’, the only male disciple to remain at the foot of the cross as Jesus is crucified, overtakes him.

When the two men enter the tomb they cannot help but notice that Jesus is not there. As they scrutinise the empty tomb, noticing the grave clothes left behind, then return home; Mary stands outside overcome with tears. It has been a long and painful few days, and now the thing which she had been preparing to do throughout the restless Sabbath, has been taken from her. She is heartbroken, exhausted, confused. Where is Jesus? What should she do? Jesus had saved her. Given new meaning to her life. She had anointed him once before, and now she had planned to anoint him again, a final act of worship for her rabbi, her Lord.

When Peter and John enter the tomb they notice two things: the linen which Jesus had been wrapped in is now scrunched up, abandoned, like a serviette no longer needed, however the cloth which had bound his head had been carefully rolled up and placed by itself. Could this be a coded message for whoever would come looking for him? In the language of the serviette, Jesus is coming back.

Although the graveclothes are no longer needed, Jesus is not yet done.

As Peter and James return home, Mary stays with her grief, weeping in the garden of rest, and as she does so becomes aware of two angels, not present (or visible) until the men have gone, sitting where Jesus’ body had been, and then turning around she spies who she thinks is the gardener, someone who might actually be able to help her. Here is a terrible mystery, it is most disrespectful in any culture to steal a body, but Jesus is not here and there can be no other explanation, or can there?

Jesus is finished with the grave clothes.

Jesus is coming back.

As the gardener speaks Mary’s name her heart breaks once more, this time she is overwhelmed with joy. Jesus is not dead. Jesus has returned to the table.

This story is thousands of years old, it has become folklore, part of our history, our cultural celebrations. We are here today to dive a little bit deeper into those celebrations than simply eating Hot Cross Buns and hunting for Easter eggs. So how do we do that? Peter and John looked and saw that the body was gone and the grave clothes – the serviettes – had been left behind, but they didn’t notice or understand anything, and rushed away. Mary took her time, engaged with her emotions and with her spiritual self, becoming aware of the angels and hearing Jesus speak her name.

Are we here today because it is a lovely traditional thing to do, or because we want to take time to engage emotionally, spiritually, with the story of Easter? Will we pause at the tomb instead of running home, will we linger in this Easter moment before heading straight back into work, into school, into the usual every day hustle and bustle? Will we listen for Jesus calling our name? Will we respond, as Mary did, with words of deepest respect? Will we return to our loved ones and tell them ‘I have encountered the Lord’?

If you have heard Jesus speak your name today, even if it is the quietest of whispers, tell someone. Tell the vicar, tell a churchwarden, or chorister, or friend. Tell someone you trust, someone who can help you explore further, someone who will pray with you and help you to take the next steps.

Happy Easter.