Easter Resurrection

It is Easter morning.

Two days ago, our teacher and messiah was crucified for living a radical life. His life of action--feeding, healing, and teaching--upset the religious and political authorities of his time so much that they had him killed. Some of us followers ran away; some stayed behind, watching the entire crucifixion until Jesus willingly gave up his last breath. Only two helped take down his body, clean it, and bury it. Because those who crucified him were worried that we would abscond with his body in order to try and stage the resurrection, they placed a guard at the tomb. Thus, we were not allowed to properly weep over his body as we normally would when a loved one dies. 

Under the direction of Mary Magdala, a disciple of the Lord, her and her friends decided that on the day of the Sabbath, when they all should be worshipping at the Temple, they would go and weep at Jesus' tomb. They wanted life to be normal according to their tradition, even during this time of tremendous pain and suffering. 

According to the Gospel of Peter, however, they approach the tomb and find it open, with its guards nowhere to be seen. Expecting to find Jesus' dead body, they peek inside and see a handsome man wearing a splendid robe. He says,

"Why have you come? Who are you looking for? Surely not the one who was crucified? He is risen and gone. If you don't believe it, stoop down and take a look at the place where he lay, for he is not there. You see, he is risen and has gone back to the place he was sent from."

Frightened by either this unrecognizable and fantastic messenger or by an empty tomb (or both), they all flee. 

The resurrection story is familiar to most of us Christians, as it is the foundation of our ministry. Life overcomes death. Love overcomes hate. Care overcomes neglect. Peace overcomes war. These are the principles upon which we are to live our life. They are the very commandments of the one that embodied them; the one we follow and call God. 

And today we celebrate these teachings. We praise God for sending us a human display of them so that we too might live our life according to God's law and commandments. Moreover, we give thanks to God for showing us that if we live by these teachings nothing can destroy us. If we live by these principles, we become the resurrection. We become Christlike. We embody God on Earth. 

On this Easter Day become transfigured. Become the best human being you possibly can. Show the world the divinity of humanity.

And Love.

Love yourself. Love your partner, family, and friends. Love the nature that surrounds you. Love your neighbor. Love your enemy. You are Life. You are Hope. You are Love.

You are the Easter Resurrection. 

Amen