Rectors Reflections March 2005

Resurrection: The fullness of the empty tomb.

My earliest memory of death was when I was six. I was told that my grandmother had died in California . Soon, the entire Hunt family gathered for the funeral and burial, but we children were not allowed to attend. It was considered too traumatic. I remember the solemn faces and the somber clothes of my dad and six aunts and uncles, and the extended family. I remember the big meal afterwards, in typical Hunt style. I don’t remember crying, perhaps because it didn’t seem real to me. Then, twenty years later I unexpectedly touched into that part of myself which carries our grief. Suddenly, I found myself crying the tears of my sadness at the loss of a beloved grandmother of so many years before.

Death is the single sure thing about our mortal existence. While some animals appear to be able to grieve, only we humans know that we will die and can think about what that means. It is the anticipation of death that is the source of the fear which can rob us of the joy and purpose of living. But, what is death? Is it our extinction? Jesus’ disciples probably thought so. At best, they may have had some vague idea about going to Sheol and becoming a ghost, restlessly stuck in this earthly plane, without the possibility of growth or peace.

Jesus was dead. The women knew this. They saw him crucified. Now, everything was lost. Yet, they made their way dutifully and with great love to the tomb, in order to say good-by forever to that broken body of the man who had shone with the glory and love and wisdom of God. They hoped they could find someone to roll back the huge stone. But nothing was as the women expected. Instead of the coldness and finality of death, a great being of light awaited them at the tomb, a being of indescribable magnificence, and he spoke to them.

The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised.’

What could this possibly mean? Yet, no sooner had they fearfully begun to ponder the possibilities, than Jesus himself appeared to them. Suddenly he met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him.

The resurrection appearance of Jesus revealed once and for all to those women the astonishing fact that death does not end life. It does not mean extinction. Jesus was alive. Moreover, Jesus is alive, not just was , but is . The Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is the forever “isness” of his life, not only for the first followers but for us also.

The women touched Jesus’ feet with their hands, and believed. We, however, are challenged to accept their testimony with faith, so that we might also believe. With faith, we too can touch Jesus’ aliveness in our spirit and come to know his presence personally.

When Jesus later came to the disciples in Galilee , we are told that when they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. That phrase both amazes and reassures me. The disciples doubted even in the presence of the evidence. Doubt is a normal human reaction, and even a part of the faith journey. Perhaps the dance between belief and doubt is what allows us to know that ultimately, the Resurrection is a mystery, an unfolding mystery, and that the Christian community is a part of that unfolding.

The gathered Christian community is now the living Body of Christ. We are the manifestation of ongoing life of the Resurrected Lord. We are both the hope and presence of the eternal “isness” of life in God – the people who are unafraid of the door of death. We carry a great trust; we are co-creators with God of a new world where death has no sting. For me, this means the church gives the context and hope of seeing my grandmother again and the faith foundation that I will be forever with her and others who have loved me and whom I have loved, when I pass through that certain door.

So we, as Christians, must ask ourselves: are we not only people of the Resurrection, but also Resurrected people now. When people gather with us, when people pray and break bread with us, when people serve others with us, will they also touch the Resurrected Lord Jesus through us and become able to hear these words in their heart too? “Do not be afraid…I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”