Theological Truth: The Resurrection demonstrates God’s power over the powers of this world.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Doesn’t it feel good to say the word “alleluia” again!? It’s been a long Lent. A difficult season. The events of our lives, the angst in our souls and the fear abounding in our country may have dampened not only the tendency, but even the hope, of an occasional “Alleluia.” But there’s an important saying we need to remember, particularly appropriate on Easter: “Everything will be all right in the end. If it’s not all right, it is not yet the end.” (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, quoted in Universal Christ, Richard Rohr, p.169)
That’s an easy message for us to remember on this day of Resurrection. But for those early disciples, amid the pain, loss, disappointment, fear, and trauma in the wake of Jesus’ crucifixion, nothing was all right. And their hope for Jesus’ kingdom certainly had ended.
Their love for Jesus wasn’t over, however, even if their dreams for his kingdom were. Luke tells us that Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women who had been with Jesus from the beginning in Galilee, came to the tomb early in the morning—as soon as the sabbath observance allowed. They brought with them the spices and ointments they had prepared on Friday afternoon. They came expecting to find Jesus’ body. Everything was not all right, and the dream of Christ’s reign of love and mercy had come to an end.
The apostles and disciples thought so too. They dismissed the women’s exuberant and exciting news of an empty tomb. They disregarded their vision of talking angels. They ignored their “remembering” and reminding them of Jesus’ prediction that these exact events would take place, including that on the third day he would rise again. Some commentators have noted that in the ancient near east, the testimony of women was considered unreliable. Others have noted (present company excluded : ) that men continue to dismiss women. Perhaps. But, when everything has gone so horribly wrong, how can it not feel like the end?
The powers and principalities of this world appear to be overwhelmingly and stubbornly in control. Sin, suffering, and death seem to always get the last word. The betrayal, rejection, injustice and death of Jesus was just another bad ending in a world where things are not right…and evildoers perpetually appear to prosper.
The same still seems true today. Time and grace are required, along with some angels to encourage us to remember the Word of God….the Way of Love….the Truth of faith….the hope of Easter. We need Angels to remind us that everything will be all right in the end. And if it’s not all right, it’s not the end. No matter what your news feed says…or the pundits proclaim. Angels remind us to keep watching.
I had such an experience Thursday night. At the end of our Maundy Thursday liturgy, after the stripping of the altar and the veiling of the cross, Cara and I processed out. The church was in darkness and silence…and then our choir began to chant these words: “Stay with me, remain here with me; watch and pray, watch and pray.” Their voices had an angelic quality—rich, layered, textured, urgent. Their singing provided a heavenly reminder to remember Jesus’ words: watch and pray.
When we’ve sung that Taize chant before, I’ve always taken the admonition to “watch” as something to do, a duty to perform. But Thursday night, it felt more like encouragement. It was an invitation, not an obligation. Watch! Something is happening. Watch. I’m about to do a new thing. Watch and pray. Everything is not all right, but it’s not the end. Stay with me. Remain with me. Watch and pray.
The women at the tomb and the disciples in the room watched and prayed and discovered that the words of Jesus are trustworthy and true. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. God shows no partiality. All will be made alive in Christ. There’s no reason to look for the living among the dead. He is not dead but has risen. The dream of God, the love of Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit cannot be thwarted. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Everything will be all right in the end. And if it’s not all right, then it’s not the end.
Our work is to watch and pray…remember and remind others. It is up to us to be like the women at the tomb, climbing out of the pit of despair, remembering the words of Jesus, watching for signs of resurrection life, praying and working for the coming of God’s Kingdom, trusting that everything will be all right in the end.
This is the loving witness the world needs now more than ever, because the forces of evil benefit when we hide in our private silos of cynicism and despair. Easter jolts us towards a life of loving, determined, gentle, confident faith that God hasn’t given up on this world. Life always follows death. Love wins. It only takes a few candles to shine the light of Resurrection hope and overthrow seemingly invincible powers of darkness.
In 1989, the people of Leipzig, East Germany, gathering at St. Nicholas Church, did exactly that, reuniting Germany, bringing down the Berlin Wall, and ending the Cold War. What had begun as weekly Monday night prayer services gradually began to grow, despite people knowing the secret police were watching and listening. After the meetings, outside the church, the secret police would tell them not to congregate, to go home. But people kept coming.
Birgit Scheffle, who took part in the protests in 1989, remembers, “The size of our meetings grew from a few, to dozens, to hundreds, eventually to thousands of people from all over East Germany.” On Monday, Oct 9, 1989, thousands of people showed up at Saint Nicholas Church. Understanding the importance of avoiding violence, they emerged from the church carrying candles. “When you walk with a lighted candle,” Scheffle recalls, “You must use both hands. One hand holds the candle, the other keeps the flame from going out. So, you cannot throw a stone at soldiers, and soldiers can see that you cannot throw a stone.” Scheffle concludes, “The soldiers were ready for blood, but not for candles.”
That night’s prayer service grew into a 70,000-person nonviolent march for freedom. The following Monday it grew to 120,000. The next Monday, Oct. 23rd: 320,000! It then spread throughout East Germany. The Berlin wall came down on November 9th.
Just another seemingly invincible wrong put right. Further evidence that God isn’t finished with us yet. Everything will indeed be all right in the end, because this is God’s world and we have seen how far his Love is willing to go for us. So, if and when things are not all right, have no fear, remember, watch, and pray. Joyfully light your candle of hope. Stubbornly and hopefully cling to the promise: Everything will be all right in the end. And if it’s not all right, it’s not the end.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
