On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words.
When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
- Luke 24:1-12
In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. Easter is the new beginning when Christ was unveiled to the world and life was reborn. And we are reminded of this truth every Easter - every spring - because God knows how forgetful we can be.
Life, even in this new life, can be heavy. We each have our anxieties. The happenings of our globe amplify our concerns: Increasing droughts. Increasing flooding – two weeks ago we received sad news from Quebec; this week the waters continue to swell in Bracebridge and to the east. Increasing violence – Easter morning in Sri Lanka was rocked with casualty; on Sunday so was Burkina Faso. Anxiety around our world is high. But even in the midst of all of this, life springs forth and our attention is drawn toward the one who makes all things new in him.
Sometimes things seem hopeless. But that’s when hope arrives.
When Jesus died, hope died for his followers. They were scattered. Some started out for home. Others hid out together. None of them really knew what to do. The women followed the customs of their tradition – they prepared spices to preserve and honour the body of their dearly departed and they set out to the tomb. They didn’t know how they would access it, but their worries were greater than mere technicality.
They arrived and their worries were met with wonder. What had happened? Hope had come. They were reminded of the thing that is easy to forget. That life defeats death, that good defeats evil. Jesus is alive and nothing would ever be the same again. The gift was theirs to behold and to share.
We forget. But God reminds us, often. The Church Reformer Martin Luther wrote, “Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.” Beautiful words.
Look around. See the life that rises. Be blessed.
