Family Moab

Family Moab
In Arches National Park

Monday, April 2, 2018

Gather in Galilee

"Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He was 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: 6 - 8. The Green Bible, New Revised Standard Version.

Rev Mark preached on the Gospel of Mark yesterday during the Easter service. He focused on two things: the terror and fear of the women who found the empty tomb, and the advice of the man in white to gather with friends and family, and go home to Galilee.

The Easter gospel is not all yellow Peeps and smiley soft bunnies, it holds pain and fear and loneliness. Thank God, because today's world is more a vale of tears than a valley of Easter lilies and sunshiney prisms. Mark speaks to us through the women who are bereft of their leader, their roles in the world, their old fellowship.  They would understand our feelings of rooting around in the darkness, searching for hope.

The unrecognizable risen Jesus tells them to gather all the disciples, including Peter (especially Peter, who betrayed him three times) and go home.  In the gathering of friends and family, he promises, they will see God. Surely that is a Gospel truth, if there ever was one.

***

Good Friday 2018 coincided with my birthday, a funky coincidence with not a little irony.  I enjoy it more when my birthday meets Easter, as it does every seven or so years.  But the day was full of well-wishes from family, friends, co-workers, Facebook associates (though I may pull back from Facebook, I made sure to wait until after my birthday). I got singing voicemails from the family gathered in California and cards from around the country, texts from brothers and lilies from SwimLabs.  A day in which the true present was the presence of others.

We gathered with friends to watch Villanova roll over Kansas on Saturday night, and I had occasion again to revel in the Willow Creek community - even the ones who cheered for KU over Nova ;-).  If my children learn nothing else from growing up in the church, I hope they learn this: that we can find God, strength and salvation in community of those we love. On our own, we feel the fear and terror that lurk in all the corners of this world, but together, we find hope and overcome.

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