Easter 2020 From Harlinsdale Farms, Franklin, TN | Fr. Chad E. JarnaginMatthew 28:1-10 (NRSV)The Resurrection of Jesus28 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 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. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he[a] lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead,[b] and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” 8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”Resurrection: The act of rising from the dead.These unprecedented days bring us many questions. We are all in the middle of new realities. Everything is new. New ways of dinning, shopping, worshiping, living… new ways of worry, new uncertainties… income and job loss… life lost. Today, we’re supposed to unearth our alleluias that were buried as we began Lent... and when we finally find our alleluias again, we will probably never be the same.Early on in the outbreak, I mentioned: This is our life. These are the terms. Now, what is the invitation? These invitations have certainly looked different for everyone.Deep joy and beauty comes after deep pain and death. Joy eventually returns after mourning… The realities of resurrection joy & celebration of Easter exists because of Christ’s life, death, and rising. We’ll all find ourselves in these cycles and rhythms. As much pain, tension, and hurt we see in the world, there are moments of resurrection to be found when humans, sons and daughters show life, light, and love. This is what practicing resurrection looks like. The resurrection of Christ reveals that death, darkness, pandemics, isolation will not have the final say. The Light from the beginning of time is still traveling and expanding the universe. Somewhere, Darkness is seeing light for the very first time.Our Creator has written the promise of the resurrection in every leaf and bloom of springtime. May our invitation be one to rest and heal. An invitation to listen where nothing but noise is found. An invitation to be hope, light, and life.
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