Easter Sunday by Seventy Gil Martell

After the other women left, Mary was alone.   She wept for her dead beloved friend.  They had found the tomb empty.  Mary was crushed even further in her anger, disappointment, emptiness, and hopelessness.  She tried being strong, offering comforting to the others.  She hadn’t known her dear friend as long as them, being a new comer to his circle of friends.  She felt forsaken, fearing of what was to become of her now.

She hadn’t slept or eaten for days.  When she tried to eat, to satisfy the other women’s wishes, she became sick.  She was exhausted ready to collapse to the ground.  Her eyes were red and swollen, cheeks raw, and mouth dry with cracked lips.  She forced herself to breathe.   

She and the other women came to the burial site to finish burial anointing.  Discovering tomb open, body missing, and burial linens laying in the dirt, they feared grave-robbers had come in the night.  Mary shivered in the morning air and wrapped her shawl tighter, finding neither comfort nor warmth.  Horrified, broken, and distrait, Mary lost all sense of her surroundings.  Her pain pierced her, as if, it had been her body nails were driven into.  Sorrow and anger tangled in her mind as she tried understanding why her dear, kind, caring companion was so brutally killed - crucified.  

She wished her dear friend was still alive.  He accepted her for who she was and never judged her past.  He invited her into his intimate circle of friends and followers.  Many who had betrayed him, denied him, abandoned him, and hidden in fear.  She had hidden in fear, too.  Could she have done something to prevent his death?  Maybe she was the blame, for what she had been, that brought about the crucifixion.  Had she betrayed, denied, and abandoned him? 

He, yes he had accepted her.  Do the others truly accept her or do they just tolerate her, now to abandon her?  She had not always felt welcomed or approved by the community, especially the men.  She felt the others’ resentment as their teacher invited her on errands or to talk and pray together.  What was she to do?  She could not return to her old way of life.  Confusion and devastation rang loudly through her mind. Mary thought of her own death.

Deep in thoughts of despair, Mary was oblivious to the presence of someone with her.  But something within nudged her to look up.  Through her glazy-unfocused eyes she assumed it was the gardener.  “Do you know where they took him?”  Unsure if she spoke aloud or just thought it?

Then she heard her name. “Mary.  Mary it is I, Jesus, your beloved friend. I live, and now, I also live within you.

Mary’s mournful tears turned to tears of hope, being filled with the Spirit of Peace.  Bright morning sunlight comforted and warmed Mary.  Before her was a banquet of beautiful colors, sweet bird song, and her beloved friend, Jesus.  She wept tears of joy, rushing to tell the others that Jesus was alive. 

The biblical story of Jesus’ resurrection reminds us that Easter is also the celebration of OUR RESURRECTION in Christ’s Mission of justice and peace.  Jesus calls us to gratefully receive and generously share God’s blessings of joy, hope, love, and peace. 

Our lives, communities, country, and world are experiencing great exhaustion and fear from pandemics, the economy, civil unrest, violence, war, and the Climate Crisis.  And yet, we are called out of the pain and suffering to be filled with the Spirit of Peace.

Let truly celebrate Easter as Mary did, rushing forth, restored with peace, joy, and hope to share that CHRIST LIVES -- experiencing fuller God’s loving reign even now. 

Amen.

*Joy*, Because of Him by Lavera Wade

A friend gave me a card a few days ago, it said “Joy, because of Him”, as we celebrate the Easter season, and spring is in the air this card was certainly appropriate for the time.  But what is joy?

I recently read the difference between pleasure, and joy can be described as, pleasure is when something happens to you, it is all about you. Maybe an ice cream cone on a summer day, a walk near the river, the laughter of a child.  Joy is when something happens to you that is so wonderful, you feel you must share it with others.  A celebration, a wedding, a promotion, the birth of a child, a new puppy.

At Easter we celebrate Jesus’ sacrifice, and that he was risen.  The story of Jesus tells that he came to share the good news that God loves us.  Jesus also told us that we must love one another.  As disciples we try to live as best we can, in the example that Jesus lived.

“Be kind” seems to be the best we can strive for, as we go about our daily lives.  There is so much need in the world, one could feel overwhelmed and unable to think of what to do to help others.

On my way home every day, I come to an intersection where two roads merge, it would be almost impossible for those coming from the left to merge, if those on the right did not open up space by slowing or stopping.  Without exception, they do.  It is like a dance, who are these people who show such kindness?  Unknown strangers, who let others into traffic every day.  Kindness is the result of small, simple, actions.  We are all given the opportunity to show kindness to strangers, as we go about our lives.  Most often it takes a moment to move out of our busy minds, and notice what’s happening around us. Share a smile, or let someone in line.

We know joy because of Him, we share that joy by simple kindness shown to others.