Easter Wind at our Backs

Easter Day April 4, 2020 The Rev. Mark Pendleton Christ Church, Exeter Easter Wind at our Backs Peter began to speak to Cornelius and the other Gentiles: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." Acts 10:34-43 When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Jesus. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Mark 16:1-8 +++ Where were you last Easter Day? I know where I was: at home. We all were at home. I was innocent in the ways of Zoom and preaching into a computer screen. I had just returned from my sabbatical leave and was reminded of what many who share my vocation have long known: the heart and measure of ministry is not theology or vestments or running a parish with some degree of competence. The heart of ministry is people. Walking with a community, laughing with you, learning with you, grieving with you, shaking your hands at the back of church like all preachers do - or used to do. And the best day of the whole year is Easter Day. A year ago I projected the joy of Easter Day from our guest bedroom computer and tried not to look as down as I was feeling inside. Then I happened to scroll through the news feed on my social media and saw that a friend of mine in England had posted a rousing Easter hymn from Coventry Cathedral. It was filmed some years back and broadcast live on the BBC and showed a packed cathedral singing "See what a morning (Resurrection Hymn)." Do search for it on YouTube if you can. The hymn ends with this verse: "And we are raised with Him, Death is dead, love has won. Christ has conquered; And we shall reign with Him, For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead!" I must have played that hymn ten times that morning. The music felt like a jolt in the arm and a balm of hope. This will pass, I prayed. We will gather again to sing on Easter Day and lift up our hearts. Our ancestors endured much and made it through. So too will we, with God's help. On the first Easter morning the gospel writer Mark records the words that ground our faith -- spoken by a young white robed man who can only be an angel -- God's messenger: "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He was raised; he is not here." It is believed that this account, the earliest of the four gospels, was written at a time when there were sure to have been living eyewitness to the life of Jesus to verify Mark's telling. At the Empty Tomb, we see grief, fear and panic, and in an instant, amazement and joy. We continue to search for this Risen Jesus in our lives. It is why we proclaim and celebrate the Resurrection at Easter. We search to discover and understand who he can be in our lives when we meet up with loneliness, confusion, rejection, testing, longing, betrayal, suffering, and loss. Every human being will experience them all. And we hope that we will see and know him in moments of our joy and fulfillment and thankfulness for all that we have received. This Risen Jesus made it through all we might endure and experience in this life. He passed through death. And to Christians he is the Way and the Truth, and he is the Bread of Life. In Peter's speech from Acts we hear how the "message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him." This new expression of an ancient faith spread like wildfire and took hold in the lives of women, slaves, the poor, in urban centers around the Empire, because it spoke of a universal message of love that became particular through one man's life. Centuries later, we continue to be the baptized community of his followers called the church. With eyes to see and ears to listen, we can know what it means to reborn. We can lose our life and find it. We can give away what we think defines us and receive back much more. We can see how forgiveness, however hard it is to practice fully, is a way to become whole again. What is the message we have to share with our broken and blessed world? How God's Spirit can breathe new life into our bodies and souls. How we can begin again each new day. That same Spirit can push us out into the world when we might want to hold back and wait for others to lead. We are the hands of the Risen Jesus when we serve one another near and far. We are his heart when we have compassion for the most vulnerable: the sick, the lonely, the asylum seeker, the poor. When we stand with those who fall victim to the darkest forces of our society. The growing violence against Asian Americans in this country is only one sign of those forces of fear and hatred. We are Christ's feet when we get moving out from places of comfort and privilege knowing and believing that wherever we go, God will go with us. Back in September you may remember that I offered a theme for this year at Christ Church -- an ancient and universal experience and identity that speaks of those who walk, wander, and search for meaning to draw closer to what is holy. The journey is called pilgrimage. The people are pilgrims. In small groups, we have read and talked about the thousand-year history of the pilgrimage from Canterbury, our mother church as Anglicans and Episcopalians, through France and the heart of Europe to arrive at Rome. I was astounded to learn that in the year 1300, two million people walked to Rome. It was said that about "half were robbed along the way. They seldom had an idea what was beyond the next river or mountain range." (p. 252 A Pilgrimage to Eternity). They walked as a community of hope. And then we read about the ground upon which Jesus walked- from his birth in Bethlehem, to Nazareth where he was raised, to the Jordan where baptized, to the Sea of Galilee and his calling of his first disciples, and then onto Jericho, and Bethany, and the end of his life in Jerusalem at a place called Golgotha. Finally, to the empty tomb where we met again Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. Christian pilgrims, sooner or later, come face to face with stories of miracles and will be pressed to consider if and what they believe. Did this or that saint actually do what the faithful say? Did Mary really appear to the peasant girls in Lourdes, or the shepherd children in Fatima, or to the peasant Juan Diego in Guadalupe, Mexico? It is for the believers to believe. Did Jesus really feed the 5,000 with only a few loaves and fish, walk on water, turn water into wine, calm the storm, or raise his dear friend Lazarus from the dead? And how about God's greatest miracle of all? Jesus was crucified, died and buried. And on Easter morning Mark writes: "He has been raised; he is not here." A priest that our group read about found occasional rest at a monastery high atop the Alps in Switzerland. He was quite open about talking about his doubts as well as his faith. What stood out for me was this: When asked whether he believed in miracles, he said, "Absolutely!" He had seen them happen. Did he have doubts? "About miracles, no," he said. About his faith, "yes." And then he said this: "if you only ride a bicycle with the wind to your back, that's not going to help you. You need to ride your bike against the wind." (pg. 212 A Pilgrimage to Eternity by Timothy Egan). That image stayed with me. Riding a bike against the wind. For me, that has been what this past year has felt like. Peddling harder and faster, pushing through, getting more winded and at times frustrated for the lack of miles and distance traveled. How about you? Riding against the wind, not knowing how long "this" will last? Like pilgrims in the Middle Ages, not knowing what is behind the next corner. We have all had to learn how to navigate the road ahead with caution but not too much fear that we are unable to move forward. Riding against the wind. I have seen how hard it has been for family members to be separated from loved one for unbearable amounts of time - to lose loved ones and be unable to gather to grieve. Riding against the wind: children and young people and those who teach and care for them. God only knows the full impact from this past year. We hope and trust in the resilience of youth, and that their teachers and parents will find time to be renewed. And our more senior friends and those who live on their own or in retirement and assisted living communities. Countless meals - too many -- eaten without companions and company. And yet there is also wisdom in what the priest in the Alps said: riding against the wind can help us. Our faith gets much needed exercise, stretching and training. Many have used this time and space - adopting new practices and rhythms of daily prayer and quiet. We know that prayer can come from deep within us when we realize this truth: that we are never fully in control. We do not have the luxury to think of ourselves alone: where we may fall in the line of vaccinations for example. We are learning the hard way what God has always known. We are one human global family. Rich countries, poor nations, and all those in between. Our well-being and future is connected to others like no other time in living memory. The wind has been against us all. And this we know about wind -- weather in general especially in this part of the world. In time its direction changes. For me, each year Easter Day comes when I need it the most - when I need and feel the wind at my back. When we stop pushing through Lenten wilderness and testing and begin again to ride with more ease: breathing and believing with much less effort and more joy. When the wind turns, we are able to go much farther and make up for moments lost. Good people: there is no reason to remain at the Empty Tomb to grieve but for a brief moment. With the wind at our back we can go move into the future to experience the new life that has been promised. Look around, see and listen. Believe. Dream. Reach out and re-connect. Imagine and work to make a more Christ-like world. Live from a place of hope and faith. See what a morning (Resurrection Hymn) See what a morning, gloriously bright With the dawning of hope in Jerusalem; Folded the grave-clothes Tomb filled with light, As the angels announce Christ is risen! See God's salvation plan, wrought in love, Borne in pain, paid in sacrifice, Fulfilled in Christ, the Man, for He lives, Christ is risen from the dead! See Mary weeping: 'Where is He laid? As in sorrow she turns from the empty tomb; Hears a voice speaking, calling her name: It's the Master, the Lord raised to life again! The voice that spans the years, Speaking life, stirring hope, Bringing peace to us, Will sound till He appears, For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead! One with the Father, Ancient of Days, Through the Spirit Who clothes faith with certainty, Honour and blessing, glory and praise To the King crowned With power and authority! And we are raised with Him, Death is dead, love has won Christ has conquered; And we shall reign with Him, For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead! Stuart Townend & Keith Getty Copyright (c) 2003 2