Written for the Marshall Chronicle April 11, 2020
Photo credit Aaron Burden
“I don’t even know what day it is.”
You’ve probably heard several people say this on the phone or social media. It’s a time in history where one day rolls into the next. One person said, “Remember the underwear that had the day of the week on it? Those would be helpful now.” One couple said that the only way they knew it was the weekend was because “Saturday I attended my Temple and Sunday my spouse attended church online.” It’s no surprise that faith has the power to reorient us in such a disorienting time.
Individually and culturally, we are disoriented. We aren’t flooding theaters or stadiums; nonessential businesses are closed, finances shaky, and we are acutely aware that bodies are fragile and finite. What we have given our attention to in this culture has been stopped. Still, faith has the power to reorient us to reality. The reality that one thing remains, God’s deep love for us. The material world and the body are finite and we are eternal. In the Gospel of John we see eternity revealed in Jesus Christ. John writes,
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”, and she told them that he had said these things to her.
(John 20:1, 11-18)
Take a breath and allow the imagery of the Easter passage to come alive for you at the moment. The sites. The sounds. What it must have been like on that day. What it must have felt like for Mary. It must have been surreal. She and the other followers just witnessed the brutal death of their friend and teacher. Now, he is risen! Do you think Mary understood all this in the moment? We don’t think so.
We all want to live in the “Easter” part of the story but there is no resurrection without what precedes it. From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, Jesus rebuked religious leaders, wept over Jerusalem, attended a party with dearest friends, confronted materialism, experienced betrayal, went through 3 trials, was crucified, died, and was buried. He walked into the week fully cognizant that Easter would have the last word. Real life, including suffering, precedes every great resurrection story. Do you think the players in this scene understood the times they lived in? We don’t think so.
Easter during COVID-19 invites us to remember the days of Holy Week in order to gain an understanding of the times. Here are some things to remember-
Remember to be present and listen. During Holy Week, Mary of Bethany, ministered to her friend Jesus and anointed his body for burial. Her tenderness and ability to be with grief is remarkable. So, today ask one another, “How is it with your soul?” What’s it like to be you during this disorienting time?” Then offer some tenderness even with physical distancing.
Remember your emotions. Jesus wept over Jerusalem. There might be times you need to weep over the suffering that’s happening. Even though Jesus knew Resurrection Sunday was coming, He took the time to weep. This is an invitation allow your feelings to surface Cry out to God and say, “I’m overwhelmed” or “I’m feeling compassionate” or “I’m feeling afraid.” This crisis is actually giving people permission to name their feelings. When we can name our feelings to God they loosen their grip on us.
Remember anger is not a sin. Jesus cleared the temple of people who were exploiting the poor. This pandemic is exposing our materialism and consumerism. We can be angry at the misuse of resources, hoarding and reliance on “things.” Recognizing our own clinging to earthily goods is an invitation to be generous with what we have and to trust God as provider for all. Generosity with trust is the antidote for our cultural illness.
Remember that there are unjust systems in this culture. The people who will suffer the most are the poor, the marginalized, and those who don’t have access to the things those with means have access to. Walking through Holy Week, Jesus was always looking at those who were “at the bottom.” When we remember, please look for the people who are on the margins. See what they need. Not what do you need.
Remember to pray. Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane with you in mind. here is an invitation … Pray for our world, our community, our dear ones and ourselves. There is an invitation for prayer like we’ve never known before. Pray for frontline workers and the end of this war. Pray for a great awakening to love God with our heart, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Remember to suffer with our eyes on Jesus. He is the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross. On Good Friday Jesus was crucified. It is in our Spiritual DNA to suffer hard things. Our ancestors lived through war, plagues, natural disasters and came together to overcome. Read all through the Old Testament, the plagues our people have lived through. The Hebrews 11 “great cloud of witnesses” who say to us, “Let us press on toward the mark.”
We don’t believe God caused this suffering but we do believe God uses suffering to form the character of Christ in us. And with this kind of global solidarity beyond race, gender, religion, nation, we start to pay attention to the reality that God is working in our midst right now. We are the temple of God’s Holy Spirit, learning to be “in God for the sake of the world.”
Remember compassion. Compassion literally means “to suffer together.” Among emotion researchers, it is defined as the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering. Jesus had friends who would not leave his side until he breathed his last.
This past week we walked into the empty church and the sadness was overwhelming. We looked at empty chairs, remembered the faces of our people, their voices in worship, standing in line for communion, greeting one other, praying for one another and we stopped dead in our tracks. We practiced compassion with each other. We then walked up to our offices and someone dropped off a boatload of handmade protective masks for frontline workers. In the main office there was another bunch of masks from other community members for our food pantry volunteers. People are calling us to see how they can help the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force, the Child Advocacy Center, Food Pantry and other church missions. We have always said that the church is meant to be out in the wild and we are living it at an entirely new level.
We can remember and choose to walk with Jesus through Holy Week until the pandemic is over. Read all four gospel passages of Holy week (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and say I’m walking with Jesus right now. This isn’t an ancient story of our faith, it’s a living, breathing Bible that we can live into right now.
Finally, Remember, CHRIST IS RISEN! CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED! We will practice looking for Resurrection in every nook and cranny until we see God face to face.
With hope for Easter,
Scott and Clare