April 5th, 2015

Donna Joy

No matter how devastating our struggles, disappointments, and troubles are, they are only temporary. No matter what happens to you, no matter the depth of tragedy or pain you face, no matter how death stalks you and your loved ones, the Resurrection promises you a future of immeasurable good.

I found myself thinking about this quote throughout our liturgy on Good Friday and subsequently throughout the day. On Friday morning we gathered here to remember and experience Jesus' journey toward and death on the cross. It is a story that manages to incorporate every aspect of the reality and ugliness of human sin and brokenness: betrayal, denial, violence, pettiness, lies, all of this is what led Jesus to the cross. All of this is what Jesus has absorbed on our behalf. Having been reminded of all this, we left our Good Friday liturgy - filled with a sense of darkness - emptiness - that comes with the depth and breadth of brutality that culminates in Jesus' death on the cross.

Following Jesus' death, he is laid in a tomb, with a large immovable boulder blocking the entrance into the tomb - to ensure that the body is kept safe from theft or harm. And, as would be customary, when the Sabbath was over three women go to the tomb, taking spices to anoint him. Surprisingly, they discover that the boulder has been removed, and inside the tomb a young man dressed in a white robe, who tells them that Jesus has been raised. He tells them that they must go and tell his disciples - and Peter - that he is going ahead of them to Galilee, where they will see him.

Imagine these three women, grief stricken, devastated, disappointed, perhaps filled with guilt, terrified . . . And in the midst of all this, they are told something that they never even imagined as possible. They are told that he is risen - fully, and completely risen - and is waiting to meet them in Galilee.

It is important to recognize that the resurrection of the Messiah was never at any point, at any time, thought of or in any way considered even a remote possibility; it was nowhere on anyone's radar... And so the purpose of the entire New Testament is to help that first century church make sense of this absolutely unexpected turn of events. First and foremost, the Messiah was NOT supposed to die on a cross. Ever since the unfaithfulness of Adam and Eve, humanity's relationship with God had been broken, and after a series of attempts to restore this relationship over a long period of history, God sent Jesus to repair what had been broken. But this Messiah was supposed to be powerful, in the sense that people understand powerful: in an occupied territory, the Messiah was supposed to overturn the Roman rule, rule with an iron fist, and return the Holy City to its rightful order.

As you have heard me say before, Messiah-wanna-be's were not uncommon during Jesus' time. Sometimes they would develop a following, and if they become enough of a threat to the authorities, they would be arrested, and executed, and that would be the end of them. And, their small band of followers would disperse, never to be seen or heard from again. But with Jesus, this all changed; this all unfolded in a most surprising way. As we recalled and experienced on Friday, he was executed - crucified on a cross.

And this morning's chapter in this story is the ultimate game changer: his death is not the end of him, and with his resurrection, it is not the end of his band of followers. These events - the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus - are SO astonishing - SO shocking - SO unexpected - that - once again - the purpose of the entire New Testament is to figure out how to make sense of it. The lives of those followers were SO shattered by Jesus' death, and SO transformed by his resurrection that the whole first century was spent trying to tell, and re-tell, the stories so that their lives may be shaped by it - and their relationship with God restored.

The crucified Jesus has been fully and completely risen - through this death and resurrection the broken relationship with God has been restored - Jesus has risen victorious over sin and death - on behalf of humanity Jesus has restored God's honour by mending that which was fractured by Adam and Eve - and through his death, Jesus has exemplified the ultimate expression of love. We were reminded throughout our Lenten Study this year that these are theories that have developed throughout the history of the church in order to help Christians develop a theology of the Cross - help Christians make sense of the cross - and the resurrection that follows. Despite their significant gaps and downfalls, these theories are necessary, and important in terms of informing our experience of the cross.

(If anyone here was not able to participate in this Lenten Study, but would like some direction in terms of the reading we did, please feel free to let me know and I would be happy to help.)

Indeed, these theories of the cross are important, but, at the end of the day, most importantly, we need to recognize that Jesus' cross and resurrection exist at the very heart of our everyday lives in faith. They are not events that we simply highlight on Good Friday and Easter Day. They are events that inform, enrich, and renew our lives . . . day, after day, after day.

... Go and tell his disciples - and Peter - that he is going ahead of them to Galilee, where they will see him. This is a critical piece in Mark's resurrection story where Jesus' disciples are instructed to go to Galilee where they will be given the opportunity to experience - actually experience - the risen Christ. And, not just Jesus' disciples, but his disciples - AND - Peter. Remembering Peter's cowardly behaviour as Jesus journeyed toward the cross, this seems to be developing into an all inclusive invitation.

... Go and tell his disciples - and Peter - that he is going ahead of them to Galilee, where they will see him. Here in Mark's telling of this story, the disciples are instructed to leave their current situation, and move on to a place where the risen Jesus is waiting for them. It is highly possible, that for Mark, remaining in Jerusalem represents unfaithfulness to Jesus command, refusal to leave the safety of their current location, and unwillingness to meet the risen Jesus 'on the way.'

So, those grief stricken disciples - even Peter - are sent off to Galilee, and through other longer versions of the resurrection story, as well as attempts to lengthen Mark's more abrupt ending, we are told that they discover the risen Jesus, and despite some faltering initial responses, they are profoundly transformed. As we read and reflect on this story today, that young man in the tomb says to each of us, that Jesus is going ahead to Galilee, where we will see him.

I encourage you to think of it this way. Those disciples - especially Peter - were given a choice. They could have chosen to stay in Jerusalem, remaining frozen in time - consumed by their grief, guilt, fear, sadness, despair . . . But it seems that they chose to leave their current situation, and move on to a place where the risen Jesus is waiting for them - to offer comfort in the midst of their sadness and grief; transform their guilt with forgiveness - their fear into courage - their despair into hope.

The cross of Jesus and his rising to new life are actual events and experiences that are meant to shape our lives. When we have behaved as Peter behaved, to any degree, hurting those around us, we can choose to remain frozen in time and space and wallow in our own guilt, or our own sense of feeling justified for having inflicted such pain, or we can discover the gift of Jesus' forgiveness on the cross and the new life that comes with finding his risen self on the road to Galilee. When we have felt hurt by others, we can choose to remain frozen in time and space, choosing hate and revenge, or we can find our place with Jesus on the cross, and the new life that comes with finding his risen self on the road to Galilee. When we are filled with grief and disappointment - whether that be the death of a loved one, the end of a career or particular job, the disintegration of a friendship or marriage, we are reminded, "that Jesus is going ahead to Galilee, where we will see him and discover comfort, courage and hope.

Death and resurrection are what we experience continually throughout the course of our lives. As followers of Jesus, our way through it, is to recognize that each and every time: we die with Jesus on the cross, and we find new life as we discover the risen Jesus on the road. Often times, this may even include some time spent in the tomb, but always with the promise of new life in the company of the risen Christ.

In her book And Morning Came, Megan McKenna makes the point that the Resurrection of Jesus is one that is about 'Now.' She has said that the resurrection must be experienced through all of our living, our dying, our new beginnings and endings. In a weekend workshop at St. Benedict's Retreat Centre she made the point that throughout all this we must live resurrection now, practicing all the way home. She writes, “The Resurrection is not a single event, but a loosening of God's power and light into the earth and history that continues to alter all things, infusing them with the grace and power of God's own holiness. It is as though a door was opened, and what poured out will never be stopped, and that door cannot be closed.”This infusion of God's powerful grace and light and holiness penetrates our lives, each and every day, as we recognize our brokenness and sinfulness on the cross, and discover new possibilities on the road with the risen Christ.