Reading
for Easter Day Year C: Luke 24:1-10
April 11, 2004
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
On August 9, 1945 an atomic bomb exploded over the city of Nagasaki. This explosion destroyed 1/3 of the city and either killed or injured 150,000 people. It was believed that all life in the center of the city had been destroyed. However, a single kaki tree, which had been exposed to the radiation, actually survived and continued to bear fruit. How could a tree survive the extreme heat rays and the deadly radiation generated by the nuclear blast? Some things are cloaked in mystery. But with God, all things are possible. Out of the ashes of destruction, new life arises. We call this movement from death into life, resurrection.
On May 18th, 1980, Mount St. Helens was shaken by a massive earthquake and erupted. The north face of this tall symmetrical mountain collapsed in a massive rock-debris avalanche. Nearly 230 square miles of forest was blown over or left dead & standing. A mushroom-shaped cloud of ashes rose thousands of feet into the air, turning day into night. This ash, covered the landscape of the mountain, killing thousands of animals and acres of vegetation. The dead animal carcasses which were covered in ash, eventually gave life to a new generation of vegetation which grew into the shapes of the dead animals' bodies. How could life break through this suffocating ash cover? Some things are cloaked in mystery. But with God, all things are possible. Out of the ashes destruction, new life began to grow again. We call this movement from death into life, resurrection.
2000 years ago, a man called Jesus, traveled through the land of Israel. He healed the sick and preached good news to the poor and marginalized. He challenged aggression in the world, and spoke about peace & forgiveness. He challenged prejudice in society, and spoke about inclusivity. He challenged self-centeredness and spoke about compassion. He challenged the notion of poverty and spoke about generosity and justice. Instead of focusing on following rules, he spoke about transformation and the conversion of the human heart. He showed his disciples how to move from a place of fear to a place of love. His message was grounded in love of God and love of neighbor.
But because his message threatened the conventional wisdom of the day, both the religious establishment and the Roman government, had him arrested, put on trial, executed, and buried in a stone grave. Jesus was killed because he refused to be silent about the truth. But his crucifixion was not the end of the story. That truth of righteousness, justice, compassion, generosity, and inclusivity, refused to silenced. That truth of love, refused to remain buried behind a stone. That truth of love refused to be snuffed out by the powers of darkness. On the first Easter morning, around 30 A.D., Jesus, who embodied the goodness and truth of God, revealed himself to his closest disciples. He appeared in a different form, yet his presence was so strong that it empowered his disciples to go out and spread the good news to others. Today, this spirit of Jesus continues to empower those who seek the truth of God. How is this possible? Some things are cloaked in mystery. But with God, all things are possible. Out of the ashes of destruction, Jesus lives. We call this movement from death into life, resurrection.
The affirmation of the resurrection is not a matter of correct theology to be worked out. Rather it is "faith" in the power of God to bring new life out of death. *The resurrection might be better understood through the metaphor of the sun. We cannot look directly at the sun, for the brightness would blind us. Our eyes are not suited to that strength of light. Yet the sun, which we cannot see directly, illuminates all else. And in its light, we make our way in the world. We cannot look directly at the resurrection, because it is not given for us to see. Nevertheless, the resurrection illuminates the entire landscape of our Christian heritage. [M. Suchocki]
The resurrection gives us hope in times of darkness and pain. Belief in the resurrection is the conviction that the powers of darkness and destruction can not and will not have the final word. Resurrection is the affirmation that "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." [Romans 8]
Alleluia, Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed, alleluia!
| Updated 4/13 /04 |
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