Sunday Reflection: Today's words for the Community of Emmanuel

 

Easter falls on the 5th Sunday of the month, which meant it was my turn to offer the reflection for my inner-city friends so that Pastor Quinn could have a little break from giving the sermon. Here's what I offered. I was more than a little emotional at times when I shared it, and in spite of being full of coffee and Easter chocolate eggs, the Community of Emmanuel was very attentive and listened more quietly than I imagined they would...

To all my readers, friends, and family, a joyous and blessed Easter season!

Happy Easter, my friends! Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed!

We’ve just come through a heavy week…  the week Christians remember the betrayal, abandonment, unfair trial, mockery, violent torture, and death of Jesus, who came to teach the world that God loves us beyond death, into new life. But unlike the followers of Jesus who were lost in sorrow and confusion after his death, we know what came next.

But I’d like to invite you to imagine what it would be like if we didn’t know about the resurrection. From Good Friday until Easter Sunday morning, they were stuck in a place of darkness and unknowing. I invite you to quiet yourselves for a few moments, to sit comfortably with your feet on the floor, to lower your eyes, to breathe gently, and to listen and think about what that was like.

See if you can put yourself into the place of one of Jesus’ followers. Maybe you are Peter, or another follower of Jesus. Maybe you are Mary. Or maybe you are just yourself, back in the time of Jesus.

You are one of Jesus’ close friends. He speaks beautiful words to you about love and forgiveness, he heals you and your friends by listening to your hearts and your deepest needs, he helps you to believe in a God who loves everyone, but most especially, you. He laughs with you, feels your sadness with you, and talks with you as if no one else in the world matters. He cares for you, walks with you, eats with you, reminds you often about the beauty of the world, and sleeps under the stars near you.

Life is good and beautiful, just the way Creator wants it to be. And then suddenly, it’s not. Jesus is arrested. You follow him through the days of his betrayal. You hear all the unfair, made-up accusations against your friend, a man who you know is goodness itself, the best man you ever met and ever will meet. And then you see him die in the cruelest way imaginable, on a cross on a hill outside your city.

And you and everyone else who know him fall into shock and grief and confusion. This isn’t how it’s supposed to end! Jesus was everything good and true and beautiful, but he died, and nothing makes sense anymore.

He died. He died. He died. For a day and a half, all you can think about is that he died. The sadness exhausts you.

But wait, the burial cave is empty.

Empty?

How can it be empty? You saw Jesus’ body carried into the cave.

Running to the cave, your mind is moving fast. Someone stole the body. Someone wanted the cave for a different person’s burial. Or maybe it’s the wrong cave. There must be an explanation!

But when you arrive, you see the truth of the cave’s emptiness. It’s so empty. Jesus, your beloved friend, is gone. Dead and gone. You wonder how? Why? Where is he?

Sadness sweeps over you again, as it has so many times in the hours since Jesus died. Tears come, and they don’t stop. Your beloved friend is gone and will never be with you again.

But then a light catches your eye. You look into the cave again. Where did these two people come from?

They ask, “Why are you weeping?”

There aren’t enough words to express your grief, so you simply tell them you’re looking for Jesus’ body.

And when you turn to leave the strangers in the empty cave, a man stands there, blocking the path.

The gardener, you think.

“Who are you looking for?” he says.

Again, you say you are looking for Jesus’ body.

And the man sighs a deep, gentle sigh, and with all the love in the universe in his voice he speaks your name.

And suddenly, you know who he is! Your heart leaps to the sky and you are hugging your beloved friend, Jesus, and you are both laughing and crying with joy.

Listen to your heart and your feelings right now, and see if you can hear what the risen Jesus is saying to you this morning.

Pause…

I invite you to gently bring yourself back to the present moment, to the Community of Emmanuel, of God with us.

For me, Easter Sunday is usually a time of hope and joy. But it hasn’t always been that way. As human beings, we are all very much affected by the things that go wrong in our lives, by the mistakes we make, by the hurts we have to endure, by the losses of relationships that are important to us. And I am no exception.

When things pile up and seem very bleak, I am like Mary of Magdala, having a hard time seeing that the risen Jesus wasn’t just the gardener. I remember one particular Easter when there was too much heavy stuff weighing me down, and I was feeling miserable and lost and confused and very sorry for myself.

But something moved me to pull out my old, dog eared bible. Before I opened it, I said to Jesus, “I’m having a really hard time here. I really need some words to guide me through this dark night of the soul that I’m stuck in.” This is that beautiful old broken-down bible. I opened it, and this is where my finger landed. 

I read… 

"For see, the winter is past,

    the rains are over and gone,

The flowers appear on the earth,

    the time of pruning the vines has come,

    and the song of the dove is heard in our land.

The fig tree puts forth its figs,

    and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.

Arise my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!"

And a few chapters later, these words caught my heart:

Love is as strong as death,

    passion fierce as the grave.

Its flashes are flashes of fire,

    a raging flame.

Many waters cannot quench love,

    neither can floods drown it.

If one offered all their wealth for this love,

    they would be laughed at 

    because it would never be enough.

In that moment, I knew that Jesus was calling my name and speaking to me with all the love in the universe in his voice. And today’s story of Jesus is told every Easter Sunday morning to remind us all that no matter what we are going through, Jesus knows us and calls us by name, saying “Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!” Come to new life. It’s a bit early for spring here in Edmonton, yes, but listen to the sparrows that are singing earlier and earlier every day. See that the geese are returning. And soon little shoots will poke out of the ground as nature reaches for resurrection, just as I did. And that’s what I, Jesus, want for you too. Resurrection. New life. And the love that is worth more than money can buy.

Jesus knows us all by name. And in my case, he has a lot of names to remember – Maria Joanne Bernadette and two last names, and I'm also known as Cookie in my family of origin. Think of all your own names. I invite you now to put your hand on your heart, and silently, in your head, to say your own names. And then, the second time, say your name that is your favourite one and think about Jesus saying it gently and lovingly as he invites you to participate in his new life.

My prayer for us all this Sunday:

Brother Jesus, you call us all by name, with your voice full of all the love in the universe.
You invite us to let go of our hurts and pain and to live in the light and joy of your resurrection.
Be with us, and help us to feel your love for us, and to share it with others who need it just as much as we do.
Bless us and keep us in the hope that is life with you. Thank you, Jesus.        

+Amen