Easter Sunday, April 12

Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed. John 20:8


This Easter morning is not an ending point, but a beginning point. And more so, it is most truly a point of continuation, the continuing story of God’s great love for the world and all of God’s people, and the story of God’s people seeking to live into that life-affirming, love-affirming promise with every breath they breathe and every action they take.

Tell the story, a friend of mine says, and get out of the way. Here it seems to be. People show up, and are surprised and transformed by the news of the empty tomb. They encounter the risen Christ, and are empowered to love the world on his behalf.

Place yourself in the middle of the story. Perhaps you are Peter. Perhaps Thomas. Perhaps even Mary – at the center of it all, whose transformation following her encounter with the risen Christ is the stuff of which true faithfulness is made. Place yourself in the middle of the story. And then place yourself in the middle of all of the rest of us doing the same thing. Call it a resurrection community, an Easter community, an alternative community of love. You are a member of it. We all are.

If we pay attention to the action of the story, we will be left with a kind of breathless mandate. To live life as if this good news matters. To live life as if we matter to its telling. It does. We do. Christ is risen, we say with the ancient church and every seeker and follower since. Christ is risen indeed. Thanks be to God.

John Wilkinson, Pastor