Devotional Messages

John 20:13-14 – They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”  She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”  When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.  (NRSV)

As we approach our third pandemic Easter, it might be helpful to name what we’ve learned. It’s become clear that we don’t know how things might shift next week, or next month, or even whether things will be appreciably different six months from now or not. But one thing we do know for sure is that Easter will come the Sunday after Good Friday.

We have seen that being in the valley of death affects humanity inequitably, even when we’re all trapped in it together, but we also know that God brings life out of death. We have seen the limits of human decency stretch and break, and we have witnessed great sacrifice to care for the sick and dying. Even here, even now, Christ is alive in our midst. Christ will rise again.

We have reached a point where everything feels a bit numb, so we may wonder if we can muster up the joy Easter seems to deserve. So perhaps it’s helpful to remember that the first Easter arrived slowly and caused great confusion. We have been wandering on a wilderness journey, weary and disoriented. The disciples had been lost in a daze of grief for three days. What could possibly bring us home to ourselves? How can our hearts be revived? Who can save us from the drudgery and pain of a lingering pandemic?

Who is the One who is calling us by name? Who is the One that breaks the bread? Who is the One that commands us to feed the sheep and tend the lambs? It is Christ Jesus of Nazareth, risen from the dead! He does not command our joy, but inspires it. He does not enforce hope, but gives it life. He is gentle and offers us rest for our souls, when just a sip of the Living Water is all our parched throats can bear at first. Easter is coming. We don’t have to be ready, for Christ is raised through no doing of our own. Let us give thanks to God!

Collect for the Week:  God of Life, who carries us through every trial, as we approach our fourth Easter since the pandemic began, help us to remember that you are the source of our hope, our joy, our resilience, and our rest, that we might proclaim the Easter good news with conviction and grace.  Through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, Amen.