The journey leads us to an empty tomb.
Easter brings surprise.
Easter brings a shout and a sob…
Easter brings questions…
God picks us up, spins us around, and pushes out, saying “Go! Love! Hope!”
Years ago, my son and I went to see the most recent “Jesus” movie at the time (it was indeed beautifully filmed, although I argued with the theology at some points), in an actual movie theater! Imagine that. As we took our seats in the darkened theater, I turned to my son and said, “He dies at the end.” Not missing a beat, my son responded, “Oh, you ruined it!” And we laughed together. The couple in front of us turned around and glared at us. Oops.
We have always been pretty irreverent in my family, and, thank God, our son has inherited that gene.
I tell this story because there is a certain irreverence and absurdity to the Easter story (and the Christmas story, and the Pentecost story, for that matter). Jesus just never did the socially proper thing, even to his death and through whatever was that strange and miraculous event we call the Resurrection. Proclaiming that life continues and life overcomes death and that love is the final word, sounds pretty crazy in the face of all the evidence to the contrary. But that’s what we believe, and at our best, that’s how we live.
So, on Easter, we celebrate. Just celebrate. Because in the midst of sorrow, violence, pain, separation, and Creation’s devastation, we know that a new world is possible, that the power of love is strong, and that Beloved Community is real. The separation that we have created and lived through, that separation of ourselves from our own beings, from each other, and from God’s good Creation – that separation can and will be overcome. And in so many ways, it already has.
These few resources on absurdity, wonder, and questions, are simply readings for your use on Easter Sunday. In the “Notes to the Pastor” at the start of these materials, I have included suggestions for some brief ritual that grows from the rituals you might have done if you used any of my Ash Wednesday or Lent materials. The entire document is in PDF form.