The scripture for Easter Sunday is Luke 24: 1-12. Of course, this is Luke’s version of the resurrection of Jesus. The two men (angels) who appeared in the tomb asked the women who were looking for Jesus, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” This one question is filled with meaning. When we celebrate Easter, we are celebrating life over death, hope over despair and eternity over finite human life.
Our Christian journey is, in a sense, always about looking for the living among the dead. We look for, and seek to recognize and draw out, the image of God that is in each human being we encounter. But this image is often obscured by our brokenness, our sinfulness, and our self-absorption.
The women in the tomb were looking for the living among the dead, and perhaps their instinct can teach us all about our mission as followers of Jesus. We may be pleasantly surprised to find evidence of Christ in the faces of those who are spiritually “dead”, and our calling is to honor that evidence of the living Christ and nurture it through relationships of Christian love.
My prayer for us all, as we celebrate another Easter, is that we do not just resume “business as usual” this year after Easter. May we experience the type of transformation that is contagious and inspiring, so that, because Christ is risen, we will never be the same.
Invite friends to our Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter services this week. Remember that all of us in worship leadership depend upon your prayers.
Pastor Steve Hart