“Easter Resurrection”

April 12, 2020

I was outside my home this morning and saw an older woman walking alone along the road in our subdivision, except for her old white Labrador retriever. I have seen this older woman multiple times, as she goes on daily walks around our neighborhood, but had never stopped her to talk. I called to her “Happy Easter!” She stopped and turned towards me and said back, “Happy Easter to you!” “It doesn’t feel like Easter,” she said. “I know,” I said. “But we can still say, ‘Happy Easter!’ I said.   “That’s true,” she said. “These are strange times…”

Our conversation continued for a little more, but she left having been acknowledged and hopefully encouraged. These are strange times. I don’t remember any occasion in my life exactly like this one. I suppose those who have lived through World War II remember that time of deprivation and strife. Those who are old enough to remember the Great Depression may have other things to teach us, as well. I feel the Covid-19 outbreak across our globe is likely to become a defining moment for this generation, but I do not yet know.

“Christ is Risen!” He is Risen Indeed!” This is the traditional responsive worship phrase for Easter morning. The minister or leader of worship says: “Jesus Christ is Risen!” And the parishioner or worshipping person in response says, “He is Risen Indeed!” In our worship service this morning, the Rev. Dr. Bill Seel began the worship saying, “Jesus Christ is Risen!” Because the sanctuary was essentially empty no response was heard. But after expressing himself three times, saying “Jesus Christ is Risen,” finally some voices were heard, in response, “He is Risen Indeed!” For dramatic effect, the minister cupped his hand to his ear each time waiting for the other worshippers to engage. But we did we get the point of expression and did so, gradually. That’s exactly how Easter feels this year, God is calling out to engage us, but we are mute with inattention and fear, slow to respond.

Witnessing worship by video link with an empty sanctuary, with two ministers alternating during worship, an organist and a choir director, who alone did the singing of the joyful hymns of Easter, makes one reflect more about the meaning of worship in this time of the coronavirus, Covid-19. Social distancing has isolated us from one another. Yet, now we long for the togetherness we do not have! Suddenly, Easter worship, which is an annual high event for all Christians everywhere now is fraught with more poignant meaning. We worship at home with family and by video link to church and other extended family, but we are not together in the body, but “in the spirit” only.

There are pastors across the United States who are defying the ban of gathering for worship, citing their First Amendment right to gather for worship. I feel this is unwise, since they are certain to prolong the duration of the health pandemic.   While a pastor could justify worship saying it is “absolutely necessary” for different reasons, I am not sure I would feel comfortable as a pastor telling the family of the parishioner who died of Covid-19 after participating in worship in the church, that I had done everything possible to help that person avoid an untimely and early death. A pious pastor would say, “well, I helped the person get ready to meet God.” I wonder what they would say if the person dying is the pastor. Would they have the same cavalier attitude if they are the person dying and not someone else?

These are hard, but legitimate concerns. If a war was going on and the church was about to be bombed from the sky, would the pastor encourage everyone to join for worship in the church, so they might meet God together? I think not. But some use their authority to sway sincere worshippers…well, perhaps I have said enough about that. Perhaps, if small groups only, less than 10, but not large crowds at worship.

I do feel the passage in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 16, is a most appropriate word for use today, as shared today by Rev. Dr. Bill Seel:

                And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of James, and Salome, had brought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

                And very early in the morning of the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.

                And they said among themselves, ‘Who shall roll away the stone for us from the door of the sepulcher?

                And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away; for it was very great.

And entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were amazed.

And he said unto them, ‘Be not amazed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified; he is risen; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him.’

But go your way, tell his disciples, and Peter, that he goes before you into Galilee; there shall you see him, as he said unto you.

And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulcher; for they trembled and were amazed. Neither said they anything to any man; for they were afraid.

                                                                                                (The Gospel of Mark 16: 1-8 NKJV)

This is the first accounting of the resurrection story of faith that we have, Mark being the earliest gospel. Mark’s gospel is later amended at least two or three times to add a more acceptable ending for the church, as we know from the review of ancient Greek manuscripts. Why did Mark stop here with verse eight? Perhaps this is the most authentic story of how normal human beings react to something as different from the norm as the voice of an angel shattering long standing presumptions about death and the pervasive reality of death in this world. The Covid-19 virus would not be considered a big deal if whomever died from it could be immediately resurrected! But, alas, that is not the case. But this passage and another from Isaiah says “death, that ancient enemy of man, the veil covering the nations (Isaiah) has been removed! (Isaiah 25:7,8)

“O death, where is thy sting?

O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, who gives us this victory

Though our Lord Jesus Christ!”   (The Apostle Paul, I Corinthinians15:55-57)

We know that eventually more than these three women found out about the resurrection of Jesus. In fact, a later addition to Mark’s gospel says:

“Afterward, he [the risen Jesus Christ] appeared unto the eleven as they sat eating, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not those who had seen him after he had risen.” (Mark 16:14)

The testimony of Acts chapters 1-2 is also quite clear. When the Holy Spirit came upon the church gathered in Jerusalem, not only did they “speak in the multiple tongues of the surrounding nations,” the Apostles also became quite bold in their preaching and even confronting the religious leaders of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin religious authorities wanted desperately to “keep a wraps” on this “resurrection of Jesus,” as they knew clearly if Jesus is raised from the dead, he is truly the prophet and Messiah promised by God and they too will need to bow down and worship him! (see Acts 4:13-22)

The good news or gospel message of Easter and Christ’s resurrection is always good news no matter whether we are in an outbreak of Covid-19 virus or not. The fact that persons are dying from a horrible epidemic means we are on par with other parts of human history when similar plagues and pandemics overcame us for a time. These prior pandemics are part of the collective memory of the human family. We can be sure this pandemic will be part of the story of our human family when it is finally gone.

Disasters, pandemics, floods, hurricanes, fires and economic meltdowns are all part of the abnormal normal story of our human family. Hopefully, we will learn something about how viral disease effects modern urban centers, cruise ships and nursing homes and how we can be more prepared to cope with future epidemics and other disasters and their effect on modern life.

The message, or the good news of Jesus Christ, crucified, dead and buried, and resurrected is simply this: Death, any death, any kind of death, anything that produces death in the human family is not the last word. The last word is Jesus Christ, the Word of God that speaks forth and says, “Lazarus, come forth from that tomb!” Now we know that Lazarus died a second time and was buried. But the resurrection from the dead in which we all share in Jesus Christ, is a resurrection of life from which we can never die! Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Nothing being said in this little article should be presumed to take away from the heroic efforts of all our health care workers, who on the front lines are battling, and in some cases, giving their own lives to save the lives of others.

So in our celebration of Easter, 2020, we pause to give thanks for all those serving God on the “front lines of combating this disease” in our communities and we pause to given thanks in remembrance to the God is has saved us from death and is continuing to save us for his kingdom purpose, granting to us the true and unending gift of eternal life!

Prayer: “God our Father, we pause today to given you thanks for the gift of eternal life, for conquering sin and death and also conquering all those death producing things in our world. We know that in this life we are living in a true, “now, but not yet!” Yet we wait in sorrow, grief, gladness and joy, even as many of our brothers and sisters are dying of true cause, while we wait in the “not yet” of our own resurrection life. We pray, dear God, that not only will you teach us better ways to care for our patients, but also the meaning and purpose of our living, which is certainly not summed up simply by” the now,” but has many words of the “not yet” to be spoken by your Holy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. One day, soon or later, your Son and our Savior may say to us, “It is time for you to join me up here in heaven!” Right now, he simply asks for us to “Join him in his work, over there!”   Wherever you call us to be or to become, we await your loving call to us. Maranatha! Come quickly, Lord Jesus Christ!”

On this holy day of Easter Sunday, we say to our Lord, “Amen! We praise you, Lord Jesus Christ! Let all of God’s people say, “Amen!” We praise you, Lord God, our Savior and our King!

“Amen and Amen!”

Bill Wilson, servant of God by God’s grace and mercies.

“Amen.”