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On Easter morning...

On Easter morning, the disciples were afraid to go out.
On Easter morning, the women trembled as they went to tomb, not knowing how they would roll away the stone to prepare Jesus' body.
On Easter morning, the angels told them not be afraid for Christ has arisen.
On Easter morning, Jesus appears and tells the women to tell the disciples the good news. The Gospel of Mark shares that they leave afraid.
On Easter morning, when the disciples hear the good news of resurrection, most doubt, believing it to be an idle tale. Peter and the beloved disciple run to the tomb, finding it empty, but still uncertain.
During Easter day, they stay hidden, full of emotion, wanting to believe, and yet, not quite believing.
During Easter evening, Jesus appears to them and they are immediately afraid. He assures them of the good news. That death has no hold over him, over them, over the world.
It takes them a full 50 days to believe, understand, process, and find the courage to share this news with the world, only after the Spirit blows through them and rests in them.
On this Easter morning, we proclaim Christ arisen, but we are not gathered in our churches, but our home.
On this Easter morning, we proclaim the resurrection of Jesus, but still rely on to the things of this world: fear, anxiety, scarcity, division, wanting security and safety, believing ourselves superior to others because of our income, our citizenship, our gender, our community, our church affiliation (or lack thereof), our homes, our bank accounts, OR we believe ourselves inferior because of those things of which we do not have.
On this Easter morning, may we learn that resurrection is not a one time event, but an ongoing revelation and revolution that happens in our hearts, in our families, in our churches, in our communities, and throughout the whole world.
Let us be wise about caring for our health and the health of others in this time of a pandemic. Let us also participate in the story of resurrection by striving for and working towards a just society where all have access to affordable health care, all have access to food and shelter, and all who work have enough to sustain themselves and their families in times like these.
For Jesus proclaimed in his first sermon, "
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
        to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
This is resurrection, not that we just receive eternal life, but the unfolding of a just, healing, and caring world.

Christ is Risen...
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