| Is it possible for sophisticated
and educated people to accept as historical truth a story in which
an earthquake moves a specific tombstone with no other report of
damage in the area while an angel appears and terrifies a whole
troop of soldiers into fainting at the same time while not causing
the same reaction in two unarmed women? Probably not! However,
is it possible for these same sophisticated and educated people
to believe that God's life-giving power is greater than that
of our human propensity toward death and destruction? The specifics
of the resurrection of Jesus or of ourselves may be impossible
for some people to believe, but is it asking less of these same
people to believe that God's love is stronger than sin or
death? Without that belief we have no hope whatsoever of anything
other than making the most of our time on earth because when it
is over there is nothing else. This, of course, changes if we truly
believe that God is more powerful than death and the sin that causes
it.
Jurgen Moltmann writes in The Power of
the Powerless (SCM Press,
1983), "Christ's resurrection is the beginning of
God's rebellion. That rebellion is still going on in the
Spirit of hope, and will be complete when, together with death, "every
rule and every authority and power," is at last abolished." (I
Corinthians 15:24)
Easter is at one and the same time God's protest against
death, and the feast of freedom from death. Anyone who fails
to hold these two things together has failed to understand the
resurrection of the Christ who was crucified. Resistance is the
protest of those who hope, and hope is the feast of the people
who resist.
Easter is the feast of freedom from death. Easter is the dance
of those who are liberated. Easter is that belief that allows
us to laugh because we have been made the recipients of a love
that is more powerful than our combined shortcomings and failures.
Easter is that power that turns all of our losses into a final
victory.
All of this, of course, depends upon one thing. The angel tells
the women, "This is my message for you. He is not here;
He is risen from the dead." All that remains for us to
decide is whether or not we believe in angels and in the message
this angel brings.
Andrew Greeley writes, "Easter did not happen just once
in the past. It happens every day. Easter is not merely a harbinger
of ultimate resurrection when life triumphs completely over death.
It happens every day. Each of us experiences death and rebirth
often. Today is the festival when all those 'little' resurrections
are brought together and integrated with the overarching resurrections,
once and future, which are at the core of our faith."
The cry of Jesus on Friday, "It is finished," is
not an ending but a beginning to all we can ever hope to be.
Tony Campolo often tells this great story. He was invited along
with others to preach at a Good Friday service. He really outdid
himself and sat down satisfied that he was truly one of God's
preaching giants.
An older African-American pastor came to the pulpit. With a
loud voice he proclaimed, "Today is Friday." The
congregation responded in a way that acknowledged that Friday
was a very low time. Just as their reaction hit its lowest point
the preacher bellowed out, "But Sunday's coming!" The
congregation rejoiced. The pastor went on to list many difficulties.
After each one he would say, "Today is Friday." The
congregation would enter the despair he depicted. Then he would
add, "But Sunday's coming!" He concluded his
sermon with one last "But Sunday's coming!" The
congregation jumped to its feet, waved their arms and shouted, "Alleluia!
Amen!" Even Tony Campolo got caught up in it because he
recognized the pastor had captured everything that needed to
be known or said.
This is my message for you. Today is Sunday, but Monday's
coming. Is that somewhat of a downer? It ought not to be if you
understand Easter, if you know the power of Sunday. Barbara Brown
Taylor has written in God in Pain: "The power of God is
now and has always been the power to raise us from the dead.
Period. It is not about us. It is about God."
Monday represents the setbacks, failures, disappointments and
defeats all of us experience from time to time. It is failing
to make the team or to get a certain job. It is getting a bad
grade or hearing bad news. It is saying something wrong or doing
nothing when something was in need of being done. It is a broken
relationship, a bad decision or the loss of a loved one.
If we were to attempt a complete list we would have to acknowledge
there are lots of Monday experiences in our life. My message
for you is this. Sunday is not only coming; it is already here.
Go and tell others. He is not here among the dead as you assume.
He is risen and lives in your midst. Monday is coming but Sunday
is forever. Alleluia! He is risen! Amen!
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