“Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised,… (Matthew 28:5b-6a)
He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!
When the women come to the tomb to prepare Jesus’ body for burial, an angel meets them and says, “he is not here.”
So where is he then? Isn’t that probably what they were thinking? Mary even asks who she thinks is the gardener, “where did you take him?”
Jesus is not here…but he IS here. Always. And forever…with us. He is no longer in the tomb because he is with us. So why is it that we don’t see him…always in our lives then? This brings a question for us to ponder on throughout this Easter season: “Will we keep looking for God in our midst?”
The Easter celebration has just begun. Many (and pastors are usually in that bunch) are ex-hausted and ready to take a break as soon as Easter Sunday has concluded. It’s time for that long-awaited Post Liturgical Nap. It’s time to rest after such a long season of planning and pre-paring for extra services. But not just your pas-tor…I have asked you to ponder deep this year as we talked about how to GO and…be intentional in our discipleship, whether that’s about our prayer time, our communication, our worship practices or continuing in our journey of faith. So many of you are probably also wanting to take a break…you stepped up during this Lenten journey to provide food, and serve, and clean-up for our midweek services…thank you!
BUT…Even though we are all tired and feel we need a break, let’s ponder this month on what we need a break from. Certainly not from the story. Or the work of the Lord. Or our part in the mis-sion of the Gospel…Easter is not an end to our work here on earth…Rather it’s just beginning.
Jesus is Risen! He is Risen indeed!
Our Lord is alive and well…and with us always. And that knowledge gives me more peace and rest than anything else can. It actually energizes me, knowing I will never journey alone. But I am really pondering on this question about look-ing for God, because sometimes I feel it’s much like a resolution we make at the beginning of the calendar year. How many forget what their reso-lutions are within a couple weeks or months? If we don’t make it habit, we won’t do it.
So, with Easter in our rear-view mirrors now, will our ponderings be like those resolutions that are so quickly forgotten? I pray that, like the sto-ry, our ponderings are just a beginning. How do you find God in your midst? In each other? How will you be intentional as a disciple or fol-lower of Christ? What will you GO and…be?
Blessings this month as we explore how we will continue looking for God in our midst.
– Pastor Patti Meyer