Matthew 28:1-10 (NRSV)
After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But 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, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, `He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you." So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
Blog Reflection
I remember the first time I read an article with the title: "Has Anyone Seen the Resurrection?" It was in the newspaper on Easter Day. It was a group of very skeptical scientists looking at the scientific evidence of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
I was a young Christian who had just been baptized in a protestant evangelistic church. I was full of faith and vigor for what I understood the Christian Faith to be about. I was also arrogant and proud of what I believed. "How come every person does not believe as I do? Their lives would be so much better. The world would be a more perfect place if every person was a Christian who believed" as I did.
I have traveled just about every journey with in the Christian Faith. I went to a Nazarene College to study Church music. I spent some time in a United Methodist church with a charismatic pastor who was also a fundamentalist. I eventually became a Roman Catholic. I even wanted to become a Priest or a monk. The one thing I never wanted to be at that time, was a liberal, mainline openly gay Episcopalian. I wanted to be anyone, except who God had created and redeemed me to be. With all the horrible anti-gay messages of protestant evangelicalism and Roman Catholicism, how could I see myself as a good gay person?
It was not until I actually accepted myself as a gay man and prayed to God to help me to love myself as I am, and to help me know God's unconditional and all inclusive love for myself as a holy gay man, that I experienced a death of my old self and a resurrection as the person God made me to be.
That's right. God can do a work of conversion in the life of a gay person, without changing sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression.
Has anyone seen the resurrection?
Let's be honest, even with all the accounts of the resurrection in the Bible, we do not have an account of someone actually seeing what happened. Matthew and John's Gospel records a story of what happened. But remember, the Gospels are most likely written by not the authors, but people who wrote the story according to how the authors would have told the story. There were translators involved. Many who could have and most likely did translate according to their own ideals.
Does that mean that the events of the resurrection did not happen? No.
Does that mean that the events of the resurrection did happen? No.
As Christians we have our story from the Gospels. That is a good thing. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu said in For the Bible Tells Me So said: "The Bible is the word of God through the words of human beings. Speaking in the idiom of their time."
While the details about what happened could have been inserted or changed or drawn up by someone, the message about what happened is certainly not untrue. However, without the actions of Christians to live out the meaning of the resurrection, the story of Christ rising from the dead with all the victorious language, music and celebration that is Easter Day, might just as well be a story.
How can Christians ask the world around us to believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead when Christians live and work as if the resurrection never happened? How can people move from beyond celebrating Easter Day to living the resurrection if Christians use the Bible as a literal weapon of choice to discriminate against women, LGBTQ people, immigrants, Muslims, Jewish people, those who do not write or speak english, Native Americans, African Americans and so on? Where is the evidence of the resurrection in that?
Christian history is full of instances of how the Church has failed to give witness to the resurrection because of prejudice and the idea that Christianity supercedes all other religions and philosophies. Church bearaucracy on a world wide and local level has been used to justify more cruelty and violence that has resulted in faith scandals that may never heal for some.
Has anyone seen the resurrection?
As Christians it is our belief that in the resurrection we have been freed from the slavery to sin and death. The crucifixion, death and resurrection is the turning point for a faith that believes that death is not the final word. Yet, many Christianists and arch-conservative Catholics/Anglicans/Episcopalians/Orthodox etc are content to allow the story of the resurrection to remain a dead and buried event that is only a tale on a page.
I loved the image I chose for this Easter Day. It is an image of Jesus that does not display him as being Anglicized as white, or masculine. It is an image of Jesus as one like those who remain oppressed because of race, sexuality, skin color etc yet risen with hope for all humanity. Do I believe in that? Yes. Yes I do. But I also believe that it is not enough to just gaze on a beautiful image, or celebrate in triumphant solemnity about the resurrection. The only image of the resurrection that changes lives, ends violence and oppression is the work of Christians along with all other persons of all types, sizes, shapes, appearances and behaviors to work together for a society and Church where there is justice, equality and inclusion for all of God's people.
Has anyone seen the resurrection?
Yes. As the world becomes a more inclusive place, the resurrection happens. As people begin to recognize that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people have love in their heart and desire, and that diverse sexual orientations and/or gender expressions/identities are good in and of themselves, so people begin to see resurrection. The resurrection happens when we move from counting people (ie diversity) to people count (ie inclusion). The resurrection is seen and experienced when we recognize the need to help people in need by working to uphold and defend their dignity from those who would violate the heart of who each person is.
Has anyone seen the resurrection?
What are we going to do differently this Easter Day to help others see the resurrection and experience it? It just might help people believe the story, because it is really happening now, tomorrow and every day here after.
Prayers
O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for Easter Day, Book of Common Prayer, page 222).
Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for Easter Day, Book of Common Prayer, page 222).
No comments:
Post a Comment