“Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Matthew 28:9-10
Easter Blessings,
“Do not be afraid!” These might be the most important words in the telling of the resurrection story from Matthew’s Gospel, and we hear them twice. First, the two Marys encounter an angel, an otherworldly presence, who announces to them that Jesus is risen. He begins by saying “Do not be afraid.” I mean really, who wouldn’t be terrified by the double whammy of an angelic creature and a dead man raised. And then we hear the words spoken by Jesus to those same two women, “Do not be afraid.”
These words are for us, too. Do not be afraid for even in times like these, times when the world as we know it is ending, God is breathing new life where no life seems possible. The Spirit is stirring us to action as connections are being made in the most unlikely places. As Easter people, we are meant to challenge those who say the end is here, for out of death comes new life. We are meant to look at all the endings as a new beginning, a way to practice our faith, as a way to practice resurrection.
In the words of poet Wendell Berry,
So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world.
Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.
On the home page of this website is the schedule for Holy Week and Easter. Please join us as we “practice resurrection.”
Blessings,
Rev. Beth
Matthew 28:9-10
Easter Blessings,
“Do not be afraid!” These might be the most important words in the telling of the resurrection story from Matthew’s Gospel, and we hear them twice. First, the two Marys encounter an angel, an otherworldly presence, who announces to them that Jesus is risen. He begins by saying “Do not be afraid.” I mean really, who wouldn’t be terrified by the double whammy of an angelic creature and a dead man raised. And then we hear the words spoken by Jesus to those same two women, “Do not be afraid.”
These words are for us, too. Do not be afraid for even in times like these, times when the world as we know it is ending, God is breathing new life where no life seems possible. The Spirit is stirring us to action as connections are being made in the most unlikely places. As Easter people, we are meant to challenge those who say the end is here, for out of death comes new life. We are meant to look at all the endings as a new beginning, a way to practice our faith, as a way to practice resurrection.
In the words of poet Wendell Berry,
So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world.
Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.
On the home page of this website is the schedule for Holy Week and Easter. Please join us as we “practice resurrection.”
Blessings,
Rev. Beth
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