Stones are used as markers

Since ancient times stones have been used as markers. For example:

• In the Old Testament we hear that Jacob set up a stone pillar after he saw a stairway descending from heaven in a dream (Genesis 28:10–22).
• The prophet Samuel celebrated a great victory by constructing a pile of stones at Ebenezer (1 Samuel 7:12).
• In the middle ages the stone slab on the top of stone coffins was engraved with details of the deceased. Then, when coffins were made from cheaper materials such as wood, these became headstones vertically marking the grave.
• From the Roman era, milestones were engraved with the Emperor’s name and distances to and from the nearest cities.

Stones have been used to indicate distance, mark sacred territory, commemorate military victories, and record historic details. Such stones mark important times and places in our history.

We stand among many stone markers now (point to headstones in cemetery). I wonder what, and who, these stones mark? What stories and history do they tell? (pause). They mark friends and family who have departed us. They mark grief, sadness, death — all of which are the culmination of sin. Yet they also mark something else…

A stone marks Jesus’ tomb

A stone was used to mark the tomb of Jesus. It wasn’t a headstone like these, but probably a large boulder to seal the entrance to a cave dug into a wall or hole dug into the ground. After Jesus had been crucified, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Jewish Council of Elders, plucked up the courage to ask Pilate for his body. The last verses in Mark chapter 15 tell us how Jesus was buried:

⁴⁶ So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. ⁴⁷ Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid. (Mark 15:46–47)

Seeing where Jesus’ body was laid, these women come early in the morning after the Sabbath to the stone marker at the entrance of the tomb. Although they’re faithful, they’re not expecting the stone to be rolled away. They’re not expecting Jesus to be risen as he said he would. Instead they’re expecting the stone to mark where his dead body lies. They’re expecting to attend to a brutalized, decaying corpse. “Who will roll the stone away?” they ask.

A stone marks Jesus’ empty tomb

When the women arrive at the stone marker and look up, they’re astonished by what they see: the stone, which was very large, has been rolled away! They’re expecting one thing, but find another.

God is the God of the unexpected. And this very day God has done something marvellous. He has taken a stone that once marked sin and death, and turned it into something else. The stone has been rolled away and now lies against the open tomb.

The stone now marks the defeat of sin and death. The dark tomb is open, sin and death have been overcome, and the light of life radiates from the open tomb. God has transformed this stone into a marker for the most important historic event in all of human history.

The stone also marks a divine mystery. Where is the body of Jesus the Nazarene who was crucified? “He has risen! He is not here,” the angel declares (Mark 16:6). God has mysteriously turned Jesus death into victory. ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’ (Psalm 118:22).

A stone marks our empty tomb

Christians also have an important stone marker in their history. Baptism marks a transforming moment in the life of a follower of Christ.

In baptism you are buried with Christ. As the waters wash over you, you enter the tomb and your dead corpse lies beside Jesus. This cold, dark tomb may at times seem overwhelming. However, as you lie in the dark, you see a crack of light. The stone against the entrance is rolled away. Jesus sits up besides you, and then helps lift you up. He walks through the open tomb and beckons to you. The baptismal waters recede and you follow Christ out into the sunlight.

Saint Paul says that just as Jesus has been raised to new life from the tomb, you too can count yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ (Romans 6:1–14). Just as Christ was raised from the dead and he cannot die again, so too death has no mastery over you. Just as Jesus is made alive and walks free from the tomb, you also in your baptism are made alive and walk free from sin and death. The stone, that once rested at the entrance of your tomb marking your sin and death, is transformed into something else. The stone now marks the beginning of your life as a follower of Christ.

Blessing

May the stone lying against the empty tomb be the most important stone marker in your life. May it mark a life freed from sin, death, and the power of the devil. May it mark a new life lived following Jesus. May it mark a life of service, in which you fully offer yourself to God. May you offer every part of your being as His instrument, may you sing aloud the good news that “Christ is risen!” He is risen indeed!

Reminder that the stone has been rolled away

To help remind you that your baptism is marked by the stone that has been rolled away, I invite you to come forward one at a time. I’ll give each person a stone marker (hold up white stone marker). As I give you the stone, hear these words:

You have been buried with Christ in your baptism.
The stone has been rolled away.
You are alive in Christ.

If you have not yet been baptised, please still come forward with hands folded on your chest, and receive the sign of the cross on your forehead.

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