Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor
Gospel Lesson: Matthew 28:1-10
© 2020, Dr. Tamilio
So, let me state the obvious first: I do not think any of us can remember Easter Services being cancelled in our lifetime. Even those of you who lived through World War II were able to worship on the Sabbath. The September 11th attacks had no bearing on Easter. Although there were those strange years when we had snow on Easter — the Nor’easter of 1960 may come to mind for those over sixty-five — it certainly wasn’t a national (let alone an international crisis) and houses of worship remained open.
Yet here we are. Two decades into the twenty-first century. The medical and scientific progress we have at our fingertips today could not be imagined when WW2 broke out, let alone when the snow fell in 1960. Yet even with all of our technology and scientific know-how, we are at a standstill. The Coronavirus has us sequestered in our homes. Even the house of God is closed.
But Easter has come just the same. It doesn’t matter that we were unable to gather on Blue Hill this morning to see the sunrise. It doesn’t matter that we are not in our sanctuary singing “Christ the Lord is Risen Today,” with the scent of lilies in the air. It doesn’t matter that the little ones were unable to hunt through the front lawn for Easter eggs. Easter has come just the same. The tomb is empty. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed.
When I woke-up this morning I thought of one of my favorite Christmas stories: Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Do you remember that story? Every December, we would watch that, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and a Charlie Brown Christmas without fail. Even though I knew how each one of these stories ended, I watched them with bated breath and a cup of hot cocoa in hand. I loved how the Grinch ended: even though he went to Whoville and stole all the Christmas decorations and presents, Christmas arrived just the same. The Whos didn’t care, because it wasn’t about the Christmas tree, the lights, or the stocking hung by the chimney with care. It was about Christmas itself. When Christmas morning arrived, they gathered outside their homes and sang, hand-in-hand, in the spirit of the day.
It is as if the Grinch has returned. He stole the Easter baskets, the hardboiled eggs, and the chocolate bunnies. He even managed to cancel Sunday worship! But Easter has arrived just the same. The story that Matthew told is true. The laggard sun pierced the gloomy horizon and it shone its light on a borrowed tomb. The fear is that it would still be sealed, and the body of Jesus would be inside. But the tomb was empty. Jesus wasn’t there. He broke the bonds of sin and death and rose from the grave. Some people spread a story that the body had been taken to make it appear as if Jesus rose from the dead. That theory was proved wrong simply by the number of witnesses that saw Jesus with their own eyes. He appeared to the women first and then to his disciples.
He appears to us as well, and our expectations are not much different from his first followers. Even though he told them again and again that he would rise from the dead, they had trouble believing it. Reports began to circulate quickly that Jesus was resurrected, but some (not just Thomas) doubted. Even though they saw Jesus bring people who were dead back to life, such as Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter, and the widow of Nain’s son, it was still hard for them to believe that this prophecy would come to fruition. That said, it is still hard to believe that someone (anyone) rose from the dead — even the person you believe is the Messiah.
Jesus has a way of doing that: taking our presumptions and turning them upside down. This happens quite a bit in his teachings. With the resurrection, he did this with his very life!
More than ever, we face the power of the resurrection. COVID-19 separated us from our sanctuary, our place of worship, but our worship continues just the same. Easter has arrived whether we are together or not. Christ has risen — and with his resurrection from the dead he brings hope at a time when we feel as if we are surrounded by death and the threat of it.
Each day when I watch the news, I pull out my calculator. When we first hear about the Coronavirus, we were told that it carried a two-percent death rate. Each day, I look at the number of reported deaths and compare them to the number of people who have contracted this virus. At first, the United States was under the two-percent mark. Recently, it has risen to almost three-and-a-half percent. Globally, it is slightly higher. Now, I don’t mean to fill you with fear. Not all of us with contract COVID-19, and three-and-a-half percent mortality rate is still small compared to other diseases. Still, it’s what I have been thinking about. And it’s not just me. The point is simple: we are focusing on risks and death tolls. What about the positive stories — stories that show how God is at work amidst this crisis? Why aren’t we hearing those stories? Well, first, we know that such stories do not sell advertising space. Second, people are attracted to the grim, which is why we always slow down when we see an accident at the side of the road.
But a light is breaking through the gloom. I am not talking about the end of this virus and the confinement it brings. I am talking about the hope that arises in spite of the gloom.
The Executive Director of our National Association of Congregational Christian Churches, The Rev. Dr. Michael Chittum, posted a video on facebook this past week regarding celebrating Holy Week in the midst of the Coronavirus. In it, he quotes the great twentieth century Dutch Catholic theologian, Henry Nouwen, who said, “While optimism makes us live as if someday soon things will soon go better for us, hope frees us from the need to predict the future and allows us to live in the present, with the deep trust that God will never leave us alone…”
I love how this quote helps frame where we are right now in terms of both Holy Week and this global crisis. The Church isn’t filled with optimism. We are filled with hope. It is not about thinking that things will get better, but being able to sit in the moment and to trust God. It is in the prayer we say together each week: “Thy will be done.” Easter is about that: believing that life will triumph over death, because our God is a God of life and love.
Don’t this pandemic take the joy of the resurrection from you. Don’t let the dejection that we cannot worship together today color this day for you. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Let him rise in you bringing you new life. Accept him as your Savior and the gift that only he can bring. May God’s blessings be with you and yours during this unprecedented, but no less joyous, Easter. Amen.