The Most Recent Posts

What is truth? That question, amazingly enough, is asked by Pontius Pilate when Jesus is on trial before him (John 18:38). What is truth for me at this time and in this place? Is truth only something that can be factually proved? Is truth something that I must be able to touch or feel or smell or see or hear? Truth is something, I believe that can transcend scientifically proved facts or our senses.

Recently during an interview, background noise interfered with the closed captioning. The interviewee’s dog and cat began barking and meowing and the computer had a hard time distinguishing what was being said by the interviewee and the animals. The text appeared as “how, how, how” and “why, why, why.” The interviewer said: maybe we’re all really either dogs: how, how, how – or cats: why, why, why. Some have said this is the difference between science and faith. Science is concerned with “how” – “how did the earth come to be” while faith is concerned with “why” – “why does God love us and what does it mean for me?”

For those of us gathered together, I suppose that the “why” predominates – at least today.  Is the resurrection true? And if it is true, what does it mean?

The empty tomb. Verified by Mary and Simon Peter and the disciple that Jesus loved. Each one of them saw the empty tomb. The disciple whom Jesus loved saw the empty tomb and believed. But what did he believe for the sentence following says “for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.” So what was it that this beloved disciple believed?

And Simon Peter – he saw the linen wrappings and no body but then he promptly returns to his home. So what did those wrappings mean to Peter? And Mary, first at the tomb and the one who stays behind after running to get Simon Peter and the beloved disciple. Why did Mary stay behind? Perhaps she could not bear to leave this place where her Lord had been but was no more. Perhaps she could not leave because she had no place to go. And it is Mary to whom the risen Lord first appears.

Not to Simon Peter- the one upon whom Jesus would build his church. And not to the beloved disciple. They both went back to their homes. It is Mary to whom the risen Lord first appears.

And even so, Mary does not recognize Jesus. Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away.” Mary thinks that the man she sees is a gardener. Someone whose job it is to care for the earth. A garden where perhaps fruits and vegetables are grown to feed the local people. A garden perhaps like ours- where people can come and sit and enjoy new birth as the earth warms from winter and new sprouts suddenly appear. New sprouts that remind all gardeners that after the dark and cold of winter, new life comes forth. A garden- just like the Garden of Eden where God and humankind walked and talked together. But Mary doesn’t recognize this gardener. She is blinded by her grief.

Only when Jesus calls her by name does she recognize Jesus as Jesus and not the gardener. The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. Called by name, Mary turns to the Lord.

The resurrection is what sets Jesus apart. And part of what makes the resurrection important is that Jesus was put to death by the authorities of his time. For proclaiming the Gospel – the good news that the kingdom of God is at hand. The resurrection is, as some have said, God’s “Yes” to the world’s “No.” God’s “yes” overcomes the principalities and the powers of the world.

The resurrection of Jesus reminds us that God is more than we can comprehend. According to Martin Copenhaven, “Realities about which we harbor no doubt are not big enough to reveal God to us. …  Easter is the place of greatest doubt and the place of greatest truth.”[1] God is more than our words can utter. God is the one who can bring life from death. God has the power to transform lives, if only we are willing to give ourselves to God. God has, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, shown us that God has the power to redeem us from a self-centered, self-absorbed, sinful life.

While Jesus died once – and once is all that  is needed, we need to die daily to our sins. Ours is a constant journey to turn ourselves towards God and away from the lures of the world.

Mary’s fear, anxiety and grief kept her from seeing Jesus until Jesus called her by name. Our daily lives are full of fears, anxieties and grief and those things can keep us from seeing the one who calls us by name. But Jesus keeps calling us by name until we turn and face him. And keeps calling us by name until we acknowledge God’s love. God’s love predates our existence.   God’s love is who God is.[2]

When we love someone, there are usually strings attached. We may not always recognize them as strings, but they are there. I’ll love you forever (if you ….) I’ll love you forever (unless you …). Spoken or unspoken, as human beings we attach strings to the one we love. It’s a way of keeping some control. God’s love is without strings- and that’s a really scary thing. Be still and know that I am God (Ps. 46:10). It’s hard for us to be still. Our attention span gets shorter and shorter – 30 second commercials become 15 second commercials. Our phone beeps at us without ceasing. It’s hard to be still.

When we can be still and know that God is, then we know that God’s love is with us from before we are born and will be with us after we die.

… 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 8:38-39). The life, death and resurrection of Jesus show this to be true. There is no time when God does not love us.

As John Holbert said: “Easter is about the absurd announcement that there is no death so dead that God cannot find life in it. Easter is not a magic act. Jesus did not pop out of God’s top hat as the awesome climax of a divine show. Easter is about the sort of God we worship.” [3]

What is truth? Is the resurrection true? And if it is true, what does it mean to me? Each of us must ultimately answer those questions for ourselves. We have witnesses to the event in Mary, Simon Peter and the beloved disciple. We have witnesses to the meaning of the event when we read the Acts of the Apostles and other scripture. Something happened that long ago day. Whether factually correct in each jot and tittle, something happened that changed lives in that time and place. Today, we have witnesses in our own lives – if only we will open our eyes, and ears and heart- to the amazing, transforming power of the love of God.

So whether you are more of a “how, how, how” kind of person, today is a “why, why, why” and “what does it mean” kind of day. “Easter is not about resuscitation of a corpse. It is about the God who has loved us with an everlasting love.”[4] The Lord is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.