On Easter morning, churches were decorated with flowers and butterflies in celebration of the resurrection. We heard lively music with trumpet fanfares and “alleluias” in abundance. Social media (at least my social media) was awash in Easter-y family photos with smiling faces, festive Easter clothing, and plenty of Easter baskets. The greeting “Christ is risen!” quickly led to the response, “Christ is risen, indeed! Alleluia!”
We are a long way from the uncertainty and fear that Jesus’ followers surely experienced that Easter morning. They’d seen Jesus executed by the Roman authorities and had quickly buried him in a stone tomb before the Sabbath began at sundown on Friday. Saturday must have been a long and horrible day as they relived recent events: Jesus’ arrest in the garden where he went to pray after their last supper together, the abuse and torture he experienced at the hands of the soldiers, Jesus’ agonizing death. The women made their way to the tomb at dawn, as soon as the Sabbath ended. They expected to finally prepare Jesus’ body for burial. Instead, they found he was gone. Two men “in dazzling clothes” appeared and asked, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” The men reminded them that Jesus said he would rise again.
From our vantage point today, the men in dazzling clothes brought reassuring words, but they probably just confused and terrified for the women at the tomb. We’ve heard the whole story before, while the followers were watching it unfold around them. In the weeks that lie ahead, we will hear stories from the gospel about how the confused and frightened followers tried to make sense of the resurrection. We might be more accustomed to the story than they were, but in our own way, we are trying to make sense of the resurrection, too. We bring our own uncertainty and fear to our encounters with Jesus. In these weeks of Easter, may we find hope in his resurrection.
Easter blessings!
Peace,
Alicia