Wellspring UMC; Easter
-Colossians
1: 3-6, 3: 1-4; John 20: 1-18
We
gather today to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and what
a gathering it is. I invite you to look
around. For those of you visiting with
us today, don’t worry, we do these kinds of interactive things often, because
we believe the Christ calls us to be in relationship. So look around. Look at the faces, see where folks are
seated. Do you recognize them? What’s your relationship with them?
Today,
maybe more than other Sunday, we look around and see a hodge-podge of people,
an eclectic group of individuals all in one place for one purpose – to worship
and celebrate the Risen Christ. Whether
we come because it’s tradition to be in Church on Easter or whether this is
where we spend many hours a week, we are drawn to church today, and no matter
who you are, this day, the gift of new life is for you.
As I was preparing for today I found
myself thinking about the many and varied folks who would be here. I thought about the regulars – the faithful
who are the backbone of the church, knowing you’d be here and giving thanks
that you are. I thought of those whose
primary connection with Wellspring is through worship. Occasionally attending activities outside of
worship, but for the most part connecting through the God-connection of
worship. I could see the faces, and it
made me smile. I thought of the
children, imagined them singing and bolting up for the Children’s Service
bringing energy and light and thanking God for them. I thought of those folks who come mainly at
Christmas and Easter, who consider Wellspring their home, and for them I smiled
because I know they will be blessed through the power and energy of Christ at
work here. Finally, I thought of those
who are visiting with us today. We have
so many visitors throughout the year, and I always say to them “come back the
next time you’re in town,” to which they frequently reply, “We will!” It is good to have you here this morning, and
we welcome you to the Wellspring family.
I began to see faces and remember
who is a part of this great church. I
saw family connections and church family connections. I envisioned folks who worked at Busch and
William & Mary. I saw musicians and
leaders, handymen and women. I saw
preachers and teachers. I saw stay at
home and working moms. I saw children in
preschool, elementary, middle, and high school, as well as William & Mary
students. I saw retirees and
transplants. A vast array of people,
personalities, and skills, as well as levels of spirituality, all gathered for
an Easter celebration, and what a glorious sight it was in my mind’s eye, and
it’s even better in person.
Much like the nation of which we are
a part, we are a melting pot of people, from different cultures, arriving by
different roads, and seeking different goals in life, and yet we are here for
one purpose – to worship and receive the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. We are a group of Christ followers whose
faith journeys fulfill the many aspects of the faith, but each can be described
as representing the classic virtues of faith, love, and hope.
Faith – that upon which we place our
trust. Love – the gift of God which
brings life meaning and purpose. Hope –
that which we hold onto even in the face of life’s painful realities.
Faith, love,
and hope.
Turning
to John’s account of the Resurrection, there are three main characters. There is Mary Magdalene, Jesus’ friend who
journeyed on that painful road to the cross, the other disciple, whom some
claim is John the writer but others simply label as no one in particular, and
Peter, the holder of the keys of heaven, the rock upon which the Church is
built, the one who betrayed Christ at the cock crow but who was redeemed to
transform the world. Three very distinct
characters, yet ones we can relate to.
The disciple of faith – We enter the
story, and Mary is beside herself. She
runs to get Peter, and along comes this unnamed Christ follower. He runs ahead of Peter to see what has
happened, bends down, looks in, and all is in place but for the body. That which was there was no longer, but it
wasn’t a robbery. Why were the linens
neatly folded and in place?
Waiting for Peter they went in
together, assessed the situation, and as soon as he crossed the threshold, he
knew. John says, “He saw and
believed.” His faith is confident and
secure. He doesn’t look for answers,
wait for Peter’s analysis or wait to see the wounds like Thomas, or even hear
his name called like Mary, but he knew and out of that knowledge journeyed
ahead with Christ at his side, in faith.
He sees and believes. The other
disciple, the disciple of faith.
The
disciple of love – The first to see for herself was Mary. Oh, she might not have put the pieces
together at first, but that didn’t matter.
She was there. She had come while
it was still dark, and this should be no surprise. Jesus had placed her as a person of worth, something
others would never have done. He
listened to her, shared with her, gave her a purpose. She had walked with Christ many miles as he
taught and healed, she sat at his feet and absorbed his love like a sponge, she
stayed with Mary the mother of Jesus’ side as the crowd called for crucifixion,
as they beat and whipped the life out of him, as he carried the cross, as they
crucified him...as he breathed his last breath.
Mary was there. She didn’t have
to be there, but she was...because she loved him.
We
can’t be too hard on Mary because she didn’t see what was happening. She was grieving the death of the most
important person in her life. In the
midst of grief we don’t always see or understand. When we love...we don’t always see.
But
there is power in love, for it takes more than one person to truly love. In the end that love conquers all, for while
alone and grieving she hears her name, “Mary,” and the love of her life is made
known to her. Jesus comes to the
disciple of love.
The
disciple of hope – Peter is the first one to actually go into the tomb. Out of respect for him, the others stayed
back, but in true Peter fashion, he walks in looking for clues. He sees the evidence – empty tomb, stone
rolled back, linens to the side, body gone.
He was a business man, a rationalist.
Dead bodies just don’t get up and walk out!
Peter leaves the tomb oblivious to
the Resurrection. He does not believe
because it makes no sense. He cannot
wrap his mind around it. And yet, God’s
not through with Peter, for God had planted the seeds with Jesus’ predictions
of what would happen, with the gift of the empty tomb, the rational, empirical
mind kept turning it over, so that when Mary returns with the Good News, he
believes. There is hope for even
him. Despite his actions, despite the
denials, despite the demands for clear answers, hope is given to Peter, the
disciple of hope.
The other disciple - faith, Mary
Magdalene - love, Peter the rock – hope.
Faith, love, hope, all central to the Resurrection of Christ...all found
in the Body of Christ on earth, the Church.
The question I have, is which one are you?
Are
you a disciple of faith? One of the
steady, reliable saints who comes Sunday after Sunday or even Easter after
Easter, because you believe? Are you one
of the ones who simply takes it all at face value, trust others and trusts God,
and in doing so reveals the faith that God desires we have?
Are
you a disciple of love? Are you grieving
a loss, living in chaos, one who desperately needs to hear your name called by God?
Do you need to be held in the arms of Christ? Do you come to love and be loved by the One
who died and rose again for your salvation?
Is love the centerpiece of your faith?
Or
are you one who sees hope in Peter? One
who lives life as it comes, often doubting if it’s true, wondering why, asking
the hard questions and getting no solid answers? Are you one who denies Christ by your
thoughts or actions? Do you run away during
Christ’s hardest hour? Have you
stumbled, gotten lost, completely missed the point? Are you one who sees Peter and relates, but
still has hope, because if God can love Peter, God can love you?
Which disciple are you? The truth is that few have the faith of beloved disciple, and the depth of Mary’s love does not run rampant, but all of us can find hope in Peter. But even more important that deciding which disciple you are is the great Good News – no matter who you are Resurrection, the promise of new life, the hope of life eternal comes to you! Alleluia! Amen!