Early in the morning
as the sun began to rise
women
went to the tomb
They went to offer
one last gesture
of care
of respect
of love
to the broken body
of the man
the Messiah
the Savior
who had selflessly
offered himself
for them
As they walked that path
from city to garden tomb
the dust rising from their feet
as they walked
Broken hearted
spirits torn in grief
On that Friday before
his broken body
had been taken down from the cross
had been taken up by his followers
had been placed down on the cold floor
on the hollowed out rock
of the tomb
The stone had been rolled
With a resounding thud
it had fallen into place
before the entrance
closing off that tomb
closing them off
from Jesus
from the man they had followed
the Messiah they had longed for
the Savior they had love
As they walked to that tomb
they held on to each other
in their grief
their hearts splintered
by the brokenness of his body
by the brokenness of the world
And they thought
it was
finished
But no
It was
about
to begin
Because
two thousand years ago
in the Holy Land
this
this
is
what Jesus came to do
…
Two years ago
in the Holy Land
as I stood on the bank of the Jordan River
on a path worn down
by the passage of centuries of feet
Looking out at the water rushing by
I wondered
Could this be where
it all began
Hundreds of miles of shoreline
so the likelihood wasn’t high
but
somewhere along those shores
somewhere along that river
Jesus had stood looking out
at the water rushing by
And so
I wondered
Could this be where Jesus stood
Could his feet have rested
where mine now made
an impression in the muddy bank
Could this be where
he walked
down the slope
his feet entering the cold water
wading out to where his cousin John waited
Could this be where
it all began
Standing on the bank of the Jordan River
on a path worn down
by the passage of centuries of feet
Looking out at water rushing by
and thinking
This beautiful world
populated by beautiful people
made in the image of God
Daily I am amazed
by the
beauty I see
in the world around me
in the kindness of strangers
in the laugh of a child
in a smile set amongst
deep wrinkles
That beauty
though
that image of God
all too often
seems overlaid
with a sharp patina
tainted
sullied
damaged
This beautiful world
created by God
filled with beautiful people
created by God
and yet
we see
and experience
cruelty
unspeakable violence
disregard
callousness and care-less-ness
where human beings
become less than we are
less than we could be
less than we should be
where the image of God is covered over
with something
quite else entirely
While this spirit inside me
longs for something
pure and holy and spotless and joy-filled
while it longs for what is
clean and good and true
all around us the world
seems to clamor loudly for
clear-cut divisions
people analyzed
and judged
and neatly wrapped up into
unambiguous categories of
“us” versus “them”
Never mind the damage done
to the people placed so firmly
on one side of the dividing line
or the other
Never mind the damage done to relationships
to communities
to countries
to the world
The lines are drawn
The sides are taken
The image of God in each other
no longer recognized
no longer looked for
no longer seen
Standing on the bank of the Jordan River
on a path worn down
by the passage of centuries of feet
Looking out at the water rushing by
I wondered
Jesus came willingly
into that ancient
2000-years-ago world
a world that was deeply divided
divided by politics
divided by religion
divided by financial status
by ethnicity
by language
by gender
by ability
by age
And I wondered
would Jesus
born into that
ancient world
in a distant land
would he
recognize his world
in ours
We who are
so deeply
divided
divided by politics
divided by religion
divided by financial status
by ethnicity
by language
by gender
by ability
by age
Jesus’ world
in many ways
not so different from ours
Jesus came willingly
into that world
to show a different way
an alternative way
a better
life-sustaining way
He came
to challenge
the self-sufficiency
of the time
He came
to disrupt the complacency
to confront the cruelty
to oppose the callousness
to expose the injustice
He poked and prodded and provoked
He risked scandal and censure
Without a thought
for his own comfort
for his own preferences
his own safety
In Christ’s family
In this family
there is no one in
no one out
no insider
no outsider
In Christ’s family
In this family
There are only
children of God
In the deepest place in me
in the truest part of who I am
I long for this
I long for a place
where the divisions of the world
are put aside
where each person is known
and valued
and loved
where flaws are seen
and challenged
but never judged
where cruelty is replaced with
compassion
where judgment is replaced with
understanding
where corruption is replaced with
justice
where difficult truths are told
in deeply embedded
love
where perfection is never expected
but always sought
which is only
only
only possible
through Christ
In Christ’s family
In this family
there are only children of God
I long for this
I long for this place
this water
this table
this forgiveness
this joy
this peace
…
Standing somewhere
along the banks of the Jordan River
on a path worn down
by the passage of centuries of feet
As Jesus walked down to the river
As his feet entered the cold water
As he prepared to be baptized
As he began his public ministry
In that moment
Did Jesus pause
Did he look out at the water rushing by
and think
about all that lay ahead
about all that that moment
would set in motion
Moving as
inexorably forward
as the water
in that never pausing
Jordan River?
Did he think about
his life
which would be given
for us
Teaching and healing
and challenging and forgiving
and loving
Jesus would spend his life
for us
All
leading up to a meal
shared with his friends
on the last night
of his life
A meal which took simple bread
and declared it to be
holy
“My body,”
he cried,
“Broken for you.”
A meal which took simple wine
and declared it to be
holy
“My blood,”
he declared,
“poured out for you.”
In the following hours
as their bodies still digested that meal
of bread and of wine
Jesus was taken from them
Ripped away
accused
and beaten
and mocked
and killed
His broken body
taken down from the cross
taken up by his followers
placed down on the cold floor
on the hollowed out rock
of a tomb
The stone was rolled
With a resounding thud
it fell into place
before the entrance
closing off that tomb
closing them off
from the man they had followed
the Messiah they had longed for
the Savior they had loved
They stood there
holding on to each other
in their grief
their hearts splintered
by the brokenness of his body
by the brokenness of the world
Early in the morning
as the sun began to rise
women
went to the tomb
They came to offer
one last gesture
of care of respect
of love
to the broken body
of the man
the Messiah
the Savior
who had selflessly
offered himself
for them
But
his body
was
not
there
He was gone
In confusion
In anguish
In fear
they walked away
…
But Mary Magdalene stayed
Weeping
Grieving
And then
(Oh, then!)
“Mary”
She hears her name
and in the span of
two syllables
the chaos and fear
of the past few days
Vanish
Unexpectedly…
Hope out of despair
Joy out of heartbreak
Healing out of hurt
Life out of death
Jesus was risen!
In that garden
with the slanted rays of the sun
just touching her tear-stunned eyes
she moves
from soul-wrenching despair
to indescribable joy
in Jesus’
presence
That joy
That JOY
was carried
within Jesus’ body
That joy
That JOY
was carried within Jesus’ body
as he went down into the waters of the Jordan
as he traveled dusty roads
as he taught in synagogues and Temple
as he healed and loved
That joy
That JOY
was carried within Jesus’ body
as he was nailed to the cross
as he was laid in the tomb
That joy
That JOY
that he carried within him
has now
been released
in the full light of day
That potential
That promise
That hope
From the waters of his baptism
to the garden of his resurrection
That joy
offered freely
a gift beyond price
But
Why
Why would Jesus do this
for us
Why would he give so much
for us
Why would he give it all
for us
for you
for me
Why would Jesus do this
…
Jesus saw
a people
not defined by politics
not defined by religion
not defined by financial status
by ethnicity
by language
not defined by gender
by ability
by age
Jesus saw
instead
the image of God
in you
in me
perhaps somewhat sullied
perhaps not entirely luminous
But Jesus saw
that image of God
still
there
Still
It cannot be taken away from you
It cannot be put aside
I cannot be lost
And for that
Jesus was willing
to give it
all
My body, he said, broken for you
My blood, poured out for you
On the shores of the river Jordan
In the Garden of Gethsemane
On the cross of Calvary
In the Garden of his resurrection
His body His blood
A gift given for you
in JOY
And so
we come here
together
recognizing the brokenness
of our lives
our families
our community
our church
our world
We come here knowing that
we have a God who meets us
here
at this water
at this table
On this Easter morning
standing here
in JOY
coming forward
in JOY
Welcomed by the Risen Christ
we come to offer
our hearts and lives
in a gesture
of gratitude
of respect of love
to the Messiah
the Savior
who selflessly
offered himself
for us
on a spiritual path
worn by the passage
of centuries of feet
we come
as children of God
Together in joy
Come