Life is
short and some weeks pass far too quickly. The words that follow are an
introduction to Easter Day I wrote for a preaching resource published last
year.
Only
Christmas Eve rivals Easter Day. Worshippers fill every available space,
familiar faces present week after week and others we seldom see and hardly
recognize. They include folks not familiar with the liturgy, family members
present more out of obligation to a loved one than spiritual longing, children
on a sugar high from raiding baskets that appeared this morning, and a few
baptized long ago who remember that this day is special but perhaps little
else. The liturgy also swells. Brass players squeeze between the flowers and
choristers, extra music comes from added choirs, and leaders in word and song
stretch to rise to the occasion. With such a full sanctuary and liturgy, there
seems little room for proclamation. This is Easter Sunday. Some deem it a trial
to endure. How can a mere preacher speak credibly to a congregation with such
diverse needs and expectations? Others find it an impossible task. When
everyone knows the story, how can even the most skilled and faithful proclaim a
fresh word?
Yet, the
reality this day celebrates and the message it proclaims give us our identity.
Today we express our conviction that good triumphs over evil, love defeats
hatred, light prevails over darkness, life overcomes death, and God's acts in
and through Jesus Christ permanently shape the world. As Archbishop Desmond
Tutu eloquently declared, "Easter says to us that despite everything to
the contrary, [God's] will for us will prevail, love will prevail over hate,
justice over injustice and oppression, peace over exploitation and
bitterness." Yes, many worshippers may come for lesser reasons and the
pomp and fanfare may seem to overwhelm the spoken word. Nevertheless, all these
people have gathered and God sends the news the preacher has to share to them
all.
Easter Day
is not a trial, but it calls for witness. Today preachers have an opportunity
to proclaim not only the story passed down for generations but also how they
and the communities they serve have experienced that story. Not only in ancient
texts but also in our lives we have seen light shine in the darkness,
beginnings spring from endings, and life break forth where death appeared to
reign. Those gathered know the story's beginning and end, but may not have seen
and certainly need to hear how it continues to shape our lives. Preachers have
the opportunity, privilege, and call not to prove that resurrection light
shines but to point to it: to name a place where ministry in Jesus' name has
sprung forth with new life; to recall a situation in which timid steps taken in
hope led to a bold beginning; to tell the story of a light that darkness could
not extinguish; to declare where the risen Jesus has appeared. The
long-faithful deserve affirmation of the path they walk. The curious and even
the bored may unexpectedly have their eyes opened. Easter Sunday calls the
preacher to join Mary Magdalene in announcing, "I have seen the Lord"
(John 20:18).
Holy Week Blessings,
LP
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