Rev. George Miller
April 9, 2023
Matthew 28:1-10
In all the years of ministry, crafting the Easter message is always the
single hardest thing of each year.
But not this time.
This year, in my very soul, the spirit of Easter couldn’t be clearer than
if you and I were there on that first new day beside Mary Magdelene, feeling
the morning sun of the Resurrection on our faces and skin.
Why is this time so different? For starters, following the Gospel of
Matthew has made it so clear.
But more than that- this year, ministering beside you, with our hands
wide, wide open, has made this the most beautiful time of my life.
Emmanuel UCC- YOU are amazing and every day, every week, every month I
see how YOU embody the ministry, message and meaning of the Resurrection.
YOU have not been afraid.
YOU have not fallen back.
YOU have been filled with joy.
YOU have expressed greetings.
YOU have shown Christ to all who are around.
Have there been reasons to live in fear?
Yes. Have there been moments that
shook us to the core? Yes.
Have there been reasons to doubt?
Yes. Has there been death,
sadness, loss? Yes, yes, and yes.
And yet- YOU are still here. I am
still here. WE are still here.
Why? Why are we still here? Why are we still learning with integrity, worshiping
with integrity, ministering with integrity?
Because we know just who Jesus is and we have all had an experience with
the Risen Christ.
Who is this Jesus that God raised?
Who is this Jesus that God dared to Resurrect?
Since January we’ve seen Jesus born into a perfectly imperfect family of
strong women like Rahab, Ruth and Tamar who did what was needed to be done to maintain
the blessing.
Jesus who taught us what it looks like to be accountable to God, how to
face temptation, and to pray for our daily bread.
It is Jesus who said the broken hearted, the teary eyed and the gentle
spirits are blessed because God comforts them.
It is Jesus who shook our world and dared us to be so uncomfortable that
we would care for people in Somali that we will never meet.
It is Jesus who trusted that we were smart enough to deal with parables
we wrestled with, parables we hated, parables that made us to think.
It is Jesus, who with no weapon in his hand, who rode into our lives and
said we’re worthy of heaven because we have fed, clothed, visited and cared for
others.
It is Jesus who had the audacity to look at us and say “If you want to be
made well, pick up your matt and walk.”
And not only did we walk, we ran, we danced, we skipped, we fell, we got
back up, and we have lived.
THIS is the Jesus that God raised.
Not a minister who sowed fear; not a politician who sowed hate; not a mogul
who divided or a governor who banned thought.
The person that God raised is the person who dared to dine with sinners, held
hands with the hated, and spoke up for the bodily autonomy of women.
All without a spear, a sword, or a shield in his hand. All without a need to bribe, or lie, or
backtrack his words of witness.
What is the Resurrection and why is it so easy to preach about today?
Because the Resurrection is God’s “Yes” to a world that says “no.”
The Resurrection is God’s Freedom to a world that wants to take our rights
away.
The Resurrection is God’s Daily Bread in a world that wants to charge you
$6 for eggs.
The Resurrection is God’s soft light of a brand new day when the world
tried to end the week with darkness and desertion.
The Resurrection is where injustice falls in the face of God’s quake, and
the righteous stand tall, secure and can’t wait to share the Good News.
Jesus is not dead. Jesus’ mission
was not a joke. Jesus’ care for the
world is so great that not even a cross can stop the work of Heaven.
Nor can a grave hold back the greatness of God.
The God who creates. The God who
frees. The God who holds us accountable.
The God who invites us to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves.
And love never, ever dies….
Amen and amen.
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