Do not be afraid! - April 18

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 93, 98; PM Psalm 66; Exod. 12:14-27; 1 Cor. 15:1-11; Mark 16:1-8

On that first Easter morning, the Marys and Salome are quite surprised.  I suspect more than just surprised, they are scared.   A young man in a white robe tells them that Jesus has been raised from the dead and that they should not be alarmed.  I’m guessing the man says this because of the look on their faces.  Even with this pronouncement, the women end up fleeing from the tomb with “terror and amazement seizing them”.  It is a different vision from what we experienced on Easter Sunday. Most of us expect people to leave church encouraged and hopeful, affirmed in following the way of Jesus. An angel tells the women at the tomb that their friend is very much alive, and they are scared and terrified. This is not how I expect most people to leave Church after Easter Sunday morning!

What does the promise of Easter mean for you?  Is it a promise of God’s love for eternity?  Or is it the shattering of death and hell, and the restoration of life in what has been destroyed here on earth?  Maybe it is both, but the second idea is much more vivid and powerful and calls into question our earthly systems of relationships, the brokenness we feel in our lives, and the new life we long to know.  A person completely cut off from their family that finds reconciliation, a person broken from addiction who finds life in a smokey church room on a Monday evening, a grieving parent who finds hope and vision in teaching about loss and death, a person previously incarcerated learning to not have their worst moment be their identity or defining virtue of their lives, a victim of trauma and abuse learning to be the recipient of love.  We believe in Resurrection, which means we are willing to let our systems, relationships, and assumptions be transformed and that is scary stuff!  It means the future of our lives is different than today.

But the angel reminds us, do not be afraid!  We are a church, not a place of perfect people, cute clothing, and fun games, but a place where broken people see God’s love making them whole.  Alleluia, Christ is Risen. The Lord is Risen indeed! Alleluia!

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection: Who are the people who you struggle to have hope for?  Are there things you have done that you have a hard time forgiving yourself for or are keeping you from living a full life? 

Daily Challenge:  Spend a few minutes browsing through these pictures of the Resurrection.