Loading...Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
Every Sunday is a “little Easter.” Indeed, every DAY is a day to celebrate the life we have been given by God and that we have in Christ Jesus.
Yet, today – Easter Sunday – The Day of Resurrection – the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring equinox – THIS is a day of great rejoicing!
How do we do that?
As the beloved people of God,
as people loved by the Resurrected One
as people blessed by the Holy Spirit,
How do we do that?
How do we celebrate, rejoice, and live as the also-risen people of God?
With Easter egg/candy hunts, complete with Peeps™?
With an Easter dinner of ham, asparagus, and biscuits;
or some other yummy goodness?
With music, flowers, and banners?
With a Eucharist feast, songs of joy, scripture, and story?
Yes, yes, yes, yes! Of course!!
But one thing we are NOT here to do is to re-enact something that happened almost 2000 years ago.
We are not here for a quaint history lesson,
or even to dissect and disprove the resurrection of a man who had died,
claiming that it’s “not logically possible”.
We are here because
the resurrection of Jesus the Incarnate Divine One
means new life for you.
We are here because
Jesus’ rising from the dead has made it possible
for you to be raised form whatever places of death, discouragement, or
worthlessness you have ever been ensnared by.
We are here because
you know what new life is about.
Maybe you think that you have been dragged here
by a spouse, parent, grandparent or friend;
and you are just biding your time in your pretty new dress, or spiffy new suit.
But, really, you are here because you know
that you have been brought back from the brink, from the edge.
Or, that you need to be.
We are here because
someone somewhere told you about the Good News of Great Joy –
that God loves you so fiercely and so completely.
And this gives you hope.
We are here because
many years ago, several women –
three of whom we have names for –
went early in the morning, the day after the Sabbath
(so, two days after a hasty burial following Jesus’ death)
in order to re-do the burial, and to do it right this time –
with the spices and oils needed.
And then when those women got to that tomb,
there was no body and they received the most startling news
from a couple of messengers whose outfits has clearly gone to be martinized.
Messengers who said, “he is not here, but he has risen.”
Messengers who also asked them “why do you look for the living among the dead?”
Why, indeed?
We are here today because
these women,
Mary of Magdalene, Mary mother of James, Joanna, and several others
took in this message,
realized that that messengers were spot on
(“Oh, that’s right! Jesus DID say that!”)
And then they went and told the others,
Even though their message was incredible –
so incredible that it was, indeed, deemed to be
NOT CREDIBLE by the apostles.
Yet, Peter decided to at least check it out.
Sure enough – Jesus’ body was not in the tomb.
We are here today because
even though this seems impossible –
--for Jesus to rise from the dead
--for Jesus to say NO to death as a “final” answer
--for God’s creation and life to be THE answer
--for God’s love and greace to be the answer for you
--for new life to be given to you, that you are not defined by your mistakes, limitations, shame, or whatever anyone has ever said to or about you –
even though it seems impossible,
it is not.
We are here today because
this new life that Jesus has is for you, for y’all, and for all y’all.
We are here today because
resurrection is a promise given freely to all of us –
as a way of life as the beloved people of God.
We are here today because
you are being sent into the world with this incredible, seemingly unbelievable – but true – story of love and life
which you get to tell and to share.
We are here today because of the wide, all-encompassing
yet tender and personal
loving embrace of God.
You are here today because
you are filled with this new life
fed with the fullness of Christ’s love
and empowered to be like the women
who told what others thought was an idle tale,
but which was, in fact,
the truth of God’s great love for the world made real and apparent
You are here today because you are also sent into the world
to be the love of God embodied for the sake of the world.
Live this hope and grace.
Amen
