Resurrection Isn’t Just an Event—It’s a Pattern: God Shows Up!

(Gospel reading John 20)

On Easter Sunday 1988, we were grieving the death of our son, Paul.

On Easter 1989, we were in the ninth month of pregnancy with our son, Josiah.

In the early days of our grief, God spoke to both Scott and me—separately.
Scott was at work. I was in the living room, arguing with God.
And yet we both heard the same message:
You will have a son. His name will be Josiah—sustained by God.

It was beyond belief.
Supernatural.
Undeniable.
And it changed us forever.

Did it take away all the pain? No.
But it resurrected a part of us that died when Paul did.

That’s what resurrection does.
It doesn’t erase the wound—it breathes life into places we thought were lost forever.
God shows up.

Easter isn’t a one-time event. It’s a pattern. A rhythm. A pulse.
The God who is always present still shows up in real, tangible ways.

Death, transformed into life.
Again and again. Hallelujah! Christ is risen, indeed!

And what does that mean for you in 2025? 

Paula D’Arcy  said,“God comes disguised as your life.” 

Whether you’re thriving or barely hanging on, Christ doesn’t wait for you to get it all together. God shows up—right where you are.

Easter’s mantra: God shows up!

To be clear: God is always present. But there are moments—thin places, resurrection spaces—when God’s presence becomes undeniably felt. When something shifts. When you see a new way. When you get up from the grave you thought would hold you. We call those God shows up moments. They’re not just spiritual fireworks—they’re turning points. Transformations. Born again moments.

As Barbara Brown Taylor puts it,

“The last place we look for God is right under our feet, in the everyday encounters of our lives.”

So if you’re looking for God in a burning bush or a booming voice—check again. He might be in your inbox. In your tears. In your commute. Or in that one co-worker who’s somehow both annoying and holy.|

Let’s take a quick walk through resurrection stories where God shows up—not in stained glass, but in real lives. And allow these people to open up the story of your life.

Mary Magdalene: From Pain to Promotion

Mary shows up at the tomb in the dark—grieving, confused, completely undone. She assumes Jesus’ body has been stolen. Instead, she’s met with resurrection and a promotion:

“Go tell the others.”

God meets Mary right in her pain. She mistakes Jesus for the gardener—because honestly, who else hangs out in graveyards at sunrise? But he doesn’t make any mistake about her. She is chosen to be the apostle (sent one) to the apostles. Jesus is making a cultural shift. Mary rises and Jesus puts patriarchy in the grave. Restoring the original garden, the blessed garden, the before the fall garden intention of male and female equality. No wonder she thought he was the gardener! 

Howard Thurman once wrote:

“There must always remain in every life some place for the singing of angels… a place for that which in itself is breathless and beautiful.”

That moment—Mary hearing her name—is that place. A holy hush. A spark of resurrection in the rubble of her pain and the pain of humankind.

God shows up.

Peter: From Shame to Unshakable Love

Peter, dear Peter, is probably still haunted by his denials—three of them, just like Jesus said. It’s the kind of shame that echoes like a bad breakup:

“I don’t even know the guy.”

But the Risen Christ doesn’t come to scold Peter. He cooks him breakfast. He asks,

“Do you love me?”
Three times. Three chances to say yes. That’s grace doing math.

Peter—the impulsive one, all heart and half filter—still gets called the rock. Jesus builds something lasting on someone who’s failed deeply and loved wildly.

Henri Nouwen wrote:

“Our brokenness is the wound through which the full power of God can penetrate our being and become part of us.”

Peter’s shame isn’t the end. It becomes the door to grace.

God shows up.

Thomas: From Doubt to Deep Knowing

Thomas gets labeled Doubting Thomas, but let’s be real—he just says what the rest of us are thinking.

And Jesus? He doesn’t shame him. He shows up. He says,

“Touch. See. Believe.”

Thomas moves from skepticism to intimacy. From data to declaration:

“My Lord and my God!”

He wasn’t trying to write theology—he just wanted receipts.

Austin Channing Brown says,

“God is not accidentally present. God is intentionally here. With me. With you.”

Even in doubt, especially in doubt—God shows up.

The Emmaus Couple: From Consternation to Communion

Two followers are walking away from Jerusalem, walking away from faith, from relationship, dragging their disappointment with them. Jesus joins them, unrecognized. He listens. He opens Scripture. He reinterprets their pain through love.

Then they invite him to dinner. And at the table—just as he breaks the bread—their eyes open.

Communion isn’t just wine and bread. It’s when your heartbreak and your hope sit down together and realize… they’re not alone.

Then Jesus vanishes. Holy ghosting.

Bonhoeffer once said:

“God does not give us everything we want, but God does fulfill all of God’s promises, leading us along the best and straightest paths to God.”

And sometimes the straight path includes a long walk returning home, and a loaf of bread.

God shows up.

Your Story: From Then to Now

Next week, (you can join us!) we begin our journey through Acts—the stories of the early church. But this isn’t just their story.

It’s ours.

The Acts of the Apostles is also the acts of your life—filled with the same Spirit, the same wild grace, the same resurrection power.

As Frederick Buechner put it:

“Resurrection means the worst thing is never the last thing.”

That’s not just theology. That’s hope. That’s your story, and mine.

Wherever you are—grieving, doubting, stumbling, walking away—Christ is already walking with you, within you.

Easter isn’t a one-time event.
It’s a pattern. A rhythm. A pulse.

The God who is always present still shows up in real, tangible ways.
Death, transformed into life.
Again and again.

And sometimes—
it comes in the garden, at work, in the living room, or at the table you almost missed. Don’t miss it.

Hallelujah! Christ is Risen indeed!

Clare and Scott
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Upcoming opportunities —

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