 By Rev. Heather J. Blais, Rector
Alleluia! Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen indeed. Alleluia! Whose voices were the first to cry out this song? Luke tells us it was, the women. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women, whose names are known to God alone. These women, and their faithfulness, changed everything. Throughout Jesus’ ministry these women were consistently, and quietly, ministering in the background. They followed Jesus from Galilee into Jerusalem. They watched as Joseph of Arimathea lovingly took down Jesus’ body, and laid it in a new burial tomb. As the sabbath was beginning, the women returned to their dwelling, and prepared spices and ointments. Then they rested, according to the commandment. I imagine this divinely imposed pause was agonizing. Their teacher and friend had died before their eyes, traumatically and unnecessarily, on the hard wood of the Roman cross. They yearned to prepare Jesus’ body for burial. This was the final gift they could give him. Yet their communal practice of resting on the sabbath meant they were to slow their bodies, and be present to God, one another, and their aching grief. When the new day finally dawned, the women gathered their prepared spices and ointments, and made their way to the tomb. Having remembered God’s command to honor the sabbath, these women were now regrounded in their faith, and ready to tend Jesus’ body. Except when they arrived, the rock blocking the tomb had been rolled back. When they looked inside, they were shocked to discover there was no body. Their minds raced with questions. What happened? Who would do this? Why? As the women grappled with these questions, two strangers in dazzling clothes suddenly appeared beside them. They were terrified, until one of the strangers asked:“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again” (24:5-7). Luke tells us, “Then[,] they remembered…”(24:8). Jesus had told them what was to come. This encounter, these words, shook everything loose, offering the women a razor sharp clarity that we so often long for. Once we discover that ‘aha’, we hold onto our clarity, anxious not to lose it. We hurry to share our good news. This was what the women tried to do. Hurrying back to where the disciples were gathered, they told them about this life changing news.But they did not believe the women. The Greek word that is translated into English as ‘believe’, does not mean ‘belief’ as we might think of it, as rational or intellectual.* Instead it means something more akin to ‘trust’ or ‘faith’.The disciples did not trust, or have faith in the women’s report. As Amy Jill Levine writes, the disciples did not accept the women’s news because they did not expect Jesus to rise.**In spite of Jesus’ having told them otherwise. They had forgotten. Then something happens for Peter.Maybe he is trying to resolve the disagreement, maybe he’s truly curious. The text only tells us that he ‘...got up and ran to the tomb’ (24:12). When he stooped down and looked inside, all that remained was the linen cloth. He then went home, amazed at what had happened. In Luke’s gospel, we do not actually encounter the risen Christ until two disciples meet him on the road to Emmaus. That said - they don’t recognize him. They are feeling discouraged, and have lost all hope. After spending the day walking and talking with this stranger, they share a meal. They’d seen him and heard him, all without recognizing Christ. It was not until they broke bread together that these disciples remembered. They remembered. All this is to say, encountering the resurrected Christ is not what truly matters in Luke’s telling of the resurrection. It is remembering. Which means, what matters for us today, is that we, too, remember. Remember Jesus’ life and ministry; the values he repeatedly sought to instill in his followers, and the dream of God that he proclaimed. A dream that seeks to heal this world, turning it from the nightmare it is to so many into a world grounded, guided, and driven by Love. We are called to remember that when God became incarnate, it was not to embody power over people, control, or selfishness. If that had been the case, God would have become incarnate to a woman in a wealthy and powerful family. Instead, God chose a peasant family who lived on the margins of society. This was no mistake. It was and is a clear statement of God’s values. Just in case anyone didn’t get that memo, Jesus furthered God’s proclamation by spending his life and ministry walking alongside prostitutes, tax collectors, and sinners. He routinely pushed people to reconsider whether they cared more about the letter of God’s law than the spirit of God’s law. He expected those around him to bring intention and faith into their day to day lives, setting aside the fear that so often drives us. At every possible opportunity, he lifted up those our society seeks to marginalize. Which is to say, Jesus embodied in his life and death, that God will always, always stand first and foremost with those on the margins. Those the rest of the world deems not good enough, unworthy, dirty, ugly, and broken. Those who have been told by those in power that they have the wrong skin color, the wrong religion, the wrong immigration status, the wrong gender, the wrong sexuality, the wrong personality, the wrong ideas, the wrong everything. These are the children God will go out of her way to ensure have a prime seat at God’s ever expanding table. This goes against every societal norm, and that is exactly the point God is making in and through Jesus. In every generation, there are some in power who will actively seek to co-opt Jesus’ message of love, and manipulate it for their own gain. Even worse, they will use the scriptures to oppress the very one God has come to liberate. Which is why it is ever so urgent, that every generation remembers. We must remember. Jesus’ ministry was meant to show the world what the reign and rule of God truly looks like, and it is like no earthly reign this world has ever known. God’s reign is messy, complicated, and imperfectly perfect. God’s reign meets people where they are and loves people for who they are. God’s reign, as embodied in Jesus, is Love. Pure and simple. Love is the Way, and it is truly the only Way. As one guest shared on the Episcopal Church’s becoming beloved community podcast: “...all of holy scripture is always pointing us towards God is Love. And our job is to reflect that to the communities we meet. In a world that really, really needs love. We need community, we need love, we need connection and we’ve already been given all of it. It’s already ours. And it is just ours to share.”*** Like the women, like the disciples, like the early Church, we must remember.God’s way is the Way of Love, and it is our call to share that Love. This Easter, let us remember. Let us remember the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and the values he tried to help us better understand and embody. Then, let us be agents of God’s Love through small acts, caring words, and with great intention - in our families, in our places of work, in our neighborhoods. Collectively, these small acts tell the world there is a better dream for our lives and this world than some would have us know. Our world needs these signs of hope and courage, and we can lead the way. And don’t tell me that it’s too hard, because even our little ones at James and Andrew know there is Good News to be shared, and they are ready to embody it. Just last week, little Georgia ran down the aisle at the end of our service, boldly proclaiming at the top of her lungs: Thanks be to God!! Thanks be to God!! Thanks be to God!! We can do this too, if we remember. As we prepare to head back into the world today, I would invite each of us to do some reflecting:
Let us the women, Georgia, and all of God’s little ones. May we leave here today, remembering that we belong to God, and join in Jesus’ ministry of proclaiming and embodying God’s dream for this world. May we run, skip, jump, walk, wheel, or hobble out into the world today, proclaiming: Thanks be to God!! Amen. * Sermon Brainwave Episode 1019 https://www.workingpreacher.org/podcasts/1019-resurrection-of-our-lord-apr-20-2025 ** Jewish Annotated New Testament, p. 165 *** Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community - Easter Vigil 2025 episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkltLLtrarA Comments are closed.
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