“Does Easter Really Matter?”

John 20:1-18

April 17, 2022, Easter Sunday

It’s Easter! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

…and…so…what?…

I suspect for most, if not all, of us gathered here this morning, the Easter story is not a new story. 

I suspect for most, if not all, of us, the story of the empty tomb is one we’ve heard before– maybe five or ten…or maybe even seventy times before…. 🙂

I suspect that most, if not all, of us, hear the mind-blowing story of Jesus’s resurrection from the dead with familiarity and fondness, and perhaps joy, but not necessarily with great wonder and amazement. We knew it was coming! No biggie.

We hear the Easter story, and we rejoice, and we celebrate, and we sing (and by the way, I feel like I have to note that this year is the first time in three years that we can actually sing together on Easter! Can I get a Hallelujah for that?!), and we say to each other, “Christ is risen!” “He is risen indeed!”

But, so what? What does Easter really mean? Does it really matter? For us? Right here and right now? What does Easter mean to us, today, as individuals, as a community, as a nation, as a planet?

In the midst of real and far-reaching pain and heartache, in the face of widespread injustice and suffering, in the presence of so much loss and grief, in the face of the ongoing brutality and violence of war not only between Russia and the Ukraine, but in so many places in the world–does Easter matter?  

In the presence of so much darkness and despair, so much chaos and conflict, so much suffering and pain–both within and without–does Easter matter?

When we claim and proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, what are we really saying? Sometimes it seems that when we in the church say that because Jesus is alive, all of the pain that we experience and that surrounds us somehow just magically goes away, that from now on our heartache will somehow be eliminated. What do we think? Is that the way it works?

That, of course, is a hard no. We all continue to experience heartache; we all continue to witness pain.

Sometimes it can feel like we’re saying that because the tomb was empty, we can simply dismiss injustice, that now, somehow, it’s okay because it’s all going to be okay, one day, in the sweet by-and-by. 

But again–that’s a hard no. Injustice is never okay, and we are called to speak out against it and do our part to fight it, until it is no more. 

When we claim and proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, it can feel like we’re suggesting that the losses we’ve experienced, and continue to experience, and the grief we feel as a result, should now somehow be wiped away because Jesus has conquered death and so there’s no need to be sad…right?? 

That has absolutely not been my reality–nor, I suspect, any of yours. 

And then there’s this one–the notion that somehow, that because Christ is risen, there will be no more sickness of body, mind, or spirit; that we will no longer hurt or be hurt by one another; and that from now on life will be all joy and no despair, all light and no darkness. 

Really?? God knows that’s not true. And we know that’s not true.

So what is true? What is the good news of Easter?

The good news of Easter is that none of that gets the last word. The pain, the suffering, the injustice, the losses, the grief, the sickness, the hurting, the despair, the darkness–all of those things, and more, are still very much with us, and always will be. And they run deep and wield great power in our lives and in the world.

But Easter assures us that none of that will get the final say, that none of that will claim the ultimate victory!

Easter assures us that none of those things is stronger than the Love of God that is embodied in Jesus Christ–in his living, yes, in his dying, yes, and especially in his living again that we celebrate today.

In claiming the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we are claiming that Love wins. That the Love of God outlasts all sickness and shame and struggle, and forgives all betrayal and arrogance and abuse of power, and holds space for all grief and confusion and outrage, and cannot be defeated.

In claiming the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we are claiming that death–which, from where we sit, if we’re really honest, can kind of feel like the end–is not the end! 

In claiming the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we are claiming that the Love of God is wider and deeper and higher and broader and more powerful and more eternal than anything else we experience in our human existence…and that it holds everything else we experience in our human existence, with compassion and with tenderness.

And this love, God’s love, is not a sappy, sentimental, Hallmark-movie kind of love that says, “Don’t cry, cheer up, everything’s gonna be okay.”

This love, God’s love, the love that took on flesh in Jesus and lived and laughed and taught and touched and healed and made whole, and went to the cross and died willingly–and then kept on loving, alive again—this love is a love that says, “Life is hard. And painful. And sometimes ugly. And it’s not fair. Believe your mother when she tells you, ‘Life’s not fair.’! And you will struggle. And experience betrayal. And injustice. Yes, you will love and be loved…and you will hurt and be hurt. You will experience joy, yes, and you will suffer, and you will cause suffering. You will feel happiness and peace, and sadness and anger, and excitement and wonder, and guilt and shame. You will live, and you will die…”

Nice Easter reflection, hmm? 🙂 

But God’s love doesn’t stop there. In claiming the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we are claiming that God’s love goes further. It goes beyond. It goes above and beyond. And around. And under. And through. And behind. And before. 

Through the resurrection of Christ, God tells us that God’s love will not–cannot–be stopped. Not by pain, or struggle, or injustice. Not by betrayal or abuse or fear. Not by sickness or suffering, or even death. 

Through all of that, God will be with us. Through all of that, God will empower us to keep going. Through all of that, God will give us strength and courage and wisdom and hope.  Through all of that, God will love us. 

When we claim the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we are claiming that Love wins. Period. 

Bold, courageous, forgiving, justice-seeking, fierce, compassionate, relentless, boundless, eternal Love.

And claiming that can give us a depth of hope and power and courage like nothing else can, allowing us to step more fully into the living of that Love ourselves. 

And when we step more fully into living that Love, and still mess up, and screw up, and fail–which we will do! Time and time again. But when we do, God will call us back. When we step more fully into living that Love, and then think thoughts of revenge rather than forgiveness, and listen with judgment rather than compassion, and look with fear rather than acceptance, and act with arrogance rather than humility, and love with condition rather than radical extravagance–which we will do! Time and time and time and time again! But when we do, God will be there at our side us, still loving us, and offering us forgiveness, offering us the chance to try again, calling us back to Love, back to our center, back to God’s self. 

Because Love will win. Love has won. That is what we are claiming when we claim the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we are claiming that Love wins. Period. 

And claiming that can give us a depth of hope and power and courage like nothing else can, allowing us to step more fully into the living of that Love ourselves. And not just for ourselves, but for the world.

“For God so loved the world, that God gave God’s only begotten Son….”

And today, Easter Day, we claim and we proclaim that that only begotten Son has risen from the dead.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Amen.