Easter: From Grief to Joy to Action – John 20:1-18
/Side note: For centuries, nature’s annual miracle of caterpillars turning into butterflies has served as a visual metaphor for our understanding of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Jesus became something dramatically different from what He had been. Like Jesus, we believe that after we die, we will become dramatically new creations as we pass into eternal life after death.
Lectionary Readings for April 12, 2020
Acts 10:34-43 v36 This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel – that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 v1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
v24 This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Colossians 3:1-4 v2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.
John 20:1-18 v14 Mary turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him.
Matthew 28:1-10 v5-6 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as He said would happen.
Any time I preach or lead a group, regardless of age, I start the same way. I’m going to say three short sentences. Please repeat each sentence, with enthusiasm.
God made me. God loves me. God has plans for me.
I’ve been wrestling with this message for over a week now. Avoiding may be a better word. You see, I understand the cultural expectations of Easter Sunday.
We want a beautifully decorated sanctuary – bright sunshine pouring through the stained-glass windows, the sights and smells of flowers everywhere, the sounds of our organ and choir belting out the joyful sounds of uplifting hymns. And we anticipate hearing a happy message filled with optimism.
But folks… this week I was just not feeling that. But hang with me!
I don’t know about y’all, but this whole self-quarantining thing is starting to get real old, real fast. Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand why it’s important and how we’re “safe at home” not “stuck at home.”
And I don’t mean to minimize how my grandfather was drafted into WWII, and he, his wife, and their little kids gave up far more than we’ve been asked to give up. But there are some parallels that explain why our collective nerves are starting to wear thin.
Neither they nor we could have anticipated our circumstances.
Neither they nor we know when this “new normal” will end.
Both they and we hope and pray that fewer lives will be lost.
Both they and we long for a future that offers the comfort of our past.
Collectively, that “greatest generation” and we today – multiple generations – are experiencing varying degrees of emotional and spiritual trauma.
And it shows up in the little things.
One of my friends recently commented on Facebook how much they miss walking near people and feeling that little breeze their passing generates along with the whiff of perfumes.
So many of us miss meeting people for conversation over a meal or a cup of our favorite beverage.
I miss coming home from grocery shopping and being able to unpack without having to wipe everything down.
For more than a week I’ve been grumbling to God about this. HOW am I supposed to deliver a happy-perky message in the middle of this? And then God said the oddest thing: “You’re right where I want you. You are living Easter Eve.”
What do you mean?!?
“Think about Mary, the disciples, and everyone who felt close to Jesus.”
OK… their fearless leader, their beloved friend, God in their midst… He had just been executed.
Their peace and confidence were shattered.
Their excitement for the future? Gone.
Their faith? Pushed to its limits.
Like many of us today, they felt disoriented in numerous ways all at once – emotionally, socially, and spiritually.
OK Lord, that’s cool. I have a deeper empathy for the people who loved and missed Jesus. But why are You so happy about this? Why is this where You want me? And God replied…
“Because in your discomfort, in your dis-ease is where you are most alert to what matters the most – your relationships with Me and with each other.”
When we look at today’s text, we see Mary transitioning – in just a matter of seconds really – from tears of grief to tears of joy because she had a brief, personal encounter with Jesus. And from that limited interaction, she had a life-long reaction starting with her exclaiming, “I have seen the Lord!”
Mary’s seeking and response serves as a model for our own seeking and response.
Mary allowed herself to grieve what she had lost. She didn’t deny or suppress her grief; she held it, and she let God lead her through it.
Mary went looking for Jesus, the form of God she had come to know and love. She went looking rather than passively waiting for God to appear.
And after what we presume to be a brief hug, Mary let go so that she could go.
What can we learn from this?
Let’s allow ourselves to grieve what we’ve lost and let God lead us through our grief.
Let’s continue looking for God’s Spirit in and around us. Remember the “fruit card” – Galatians 5:22-23 “the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
When we see those things, those attitudes in action around us, let’s celebrate them! For example, think about all the medical personnel who are being these things through their exhausting, long shifts, day after day after day.
If you know a hospital worker anywhere, send them a message (text, email, or snail mail) and thank them for being God’s loving, compassionate presence to those who are sick.Finally, just as Mary physically let go of the certainty standing before her, there are times when we too must emotionally and physically let go of many of the certainties and comforts we have come to know and cherish. Why? So that, like Mary, we can step, or run, with God into the future that awaits us driven by our personal encounters with the living God.
Like Mary, I believe God is calling all of us, each one of us, by name to be an active part in our community’s future. And we can do this with the confidence of knowing that nothing, including death, can separate us from God’s loving presence. And that is the Good News of Easter!
Amen? Amen!
Benediction
This week we saw how Mary was able to move into her future with peace and confidence because she knew who she was and whose she was. We too can share in her confidence. I invite you to join us again next week as we rediscover the profound peace that God gives us through our ever-growing relationship with our Divine Creator. But for today…
The Good News of Easter is that God is with us and leads us through times of transition.
Through darkness and despair, we find hope and joy.
Through doubt and betrayal, we find trust and faith.
Through suffering and death, we find healing and life.
Go today knowing, believing, embracing that YOU – every single one of you – are an Easter people, WE are a resurrection people.
Because of our sacred Scripture and our ancient Traditions, we ALL have the benefit of living in hindsight – knowing and believing that Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed! Amen!