Readings for Easter:
John 20:1-18
March 23, 2008
The Rev. Karen Faye Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino, CA
“Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples: ‘I have seen the Lord.’ And she told them that he had said these things to her.” [Jn. 20:18]
On the Greek island of Santorini is a trail made of cinders spewed years and years ago from the island’s central volcano. Once fiery lava, these cinders are now spent and dry, turned to stone that crumbles more each day, gradually being ground into dust. Just beyond the cliff trail are fertile vineyards growing on this volcanic soil. These vineyards are wonderfully rich with grapes, grown for the local wines, one of which is named, Lava. With time, rain, sun, and grace, the ashes have turned to dust and then to fertile soil, which is now producing abundantly.
Out of the ashes of death, new life is made manifest. Hope triumphs over despair. Loss and destruction become avenues of rich possibilities. A light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. The same merciful and generous God who can bring potent wine from cold ashes can work the same sort of miracle in us. The bad people can’t make Jesus stay dead.
Today we celebrate the feast of the Resurrection, a time of great celebration and hope. What I would like to talk about today is reframing our life story in view of the Resurrection. Resurrection is not so much a belief as it is a way of life, a way of the hopeful thinking. How would you live your life differently if resurrection formed the core of your identity?
Each person is motivated by a master story in his or her life. For many in the United States, the master story is “the American Dream.” When the American Dream story frames our lives, we spend most of our time and energy accumulating wealth, family, and times of delight [e.g. a nice house, two darling children, and fabulous summer vacations]. As a child growing up and educated in Boston, the Boston Tea Party became my master story. You know the story…the one about the English taxing the colonists without giving them representation in the government, and the subsequent dumping of English tea into the Boston Harbor. Seeking justice and freedom formed the core of my identity back then. “Give me liberty or give me death.” Many citizens who join the military also have some version of this as their master story. But what difference would it make if the Resurrection really became the master story in the lives of all Christians? Would the world be a different place?
Bishop Mary believes that it would! Recently, she spoke to the clergy about the prevailing that’s it theology in which darkness has the final say. A “that’s it” theology is what many of us have been trained to practice. Let me give you an example. Years ago, I had a conversation with a manager who worked for a Silicon Valley computer company and was required to evaluate and rank each employee every six months. Those who fell on the bottom 10% were laid off. I asked him what would happen if a previously hard working employee came on some bad times- like a divorce, or a sickness, or other loss- and as a result began to perform poorly. He replied: “Well, that’s it. That’s how the system works.”
That’s it theology operates in many aspects of our life. When we fail to forgive those who have hurt us, then we are basically saying: “that’s it.” When we lock prisoners up for life for three major offenses, then we are basically saying: “That’s it. Three strikes and you’re out!” When we make a human mistake and are ostracized or severely punished for it, then someone is saying to us: “that’s it.” When we experience painful moments in our lives and fall into despair, failing to believe that new life is possible, we are basically saying, “that’s it.” When Peter and the other disciple came to the tomb and could not find Jesus’ body and went directly home, they were basically saying: “That’s it. It’s over and so are we.”
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. She did not give up. And in her moment of patient waiting, she got a glimpse of the risen Christ. She did not recognize him at first nor could she hold onto him, because it was a resurrected body, not a resuscitated body. She said: “I have seen the Lord.” These words were first spoken by a woman and then slowly embraced by the other disciples. Soon, resurrection theology began to take hold. Instead of being afraid, locked up in an upper room, immobilized by fear and disappointment, the disciples began to embrace a new spirit of strength and confidence. Hope had overcome despair. Life had overcome death. Love had overcome fear.
During this past season of Lent, the people of St. Jude’s embraced a resurrection theology. We studied and discussed the Eight Millennium Development Goals, an ambitious concrete action plan for the world, commissioned by the United Nations. The purpose of these eight goals is to reverse the grinding poverty, hunger, and disease affecting billions of people by the target date of 2015. If you take a serious look at the enormity of poverty, hunger, disease, and environmental degradation facing this planet, you can easily fall into despair. It is tempting to say, “That’s it! The problem is too big to solve.” But that’s not how the people of St. Jude’s are thinking. They are moving forward with the theology of resurrection: “With God all things are possible.”
Many of us are financially supporting the Millennium Development Goals Inspiration Fund of the Episcopal Church, which provides nets, training, and education that stop the spread of malaria. This fund also provides clean water and sanitation services that prevent illness and save lives. Our social justice/outreach committee is sending money to set up libraries in rural areas of Africa. We are supporting “The Hope of Sudan,” by contributing funds for medicine, training, and education in that struggling country. Educated children have better access to economic opportunities and are less vulnerable to disease. Educated children also contribute more to their communities.
Curt Beckmann, one of our parishioners, has offered his computer and engineering skills to set up a collaborative website to share appropriate technologies and solutions to small, struggling communities in the 3rd world. If Christians throughout the world practiced resurrection thinking and action, this world would be a very different place. It would be a place where justice, peace, and the dignity of every human being would become a reality.
In the mystery of grace, the powerful rulers of this world may seek to silence goodness, to extinguish light, but the light still shines. Remember: The bad people couldn’t make Jesus stay dead. Alleluia Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed, alleluia.
| Updated March 25, 2008 |
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