Expecting Life
In the Easter story from Luke 24:1-12, it is three days after Jesus’ death. We can imagine that Christ’s followers are still reeling with the confusion and emptiness experienced only by those who have lost a loved one. Several women go to His tomb to honor Him by anointing His body with spices. They expect to find Christ’s body in the tomb.
But when they arrive, they do not find what they expect. The tomb is empty. Its stone door is rolled away and two angels stand at its entrance. These angels ask the women a question: “why do you look for the living among the dead?”
We don’t know if the women answered or if the angels ask the question rhetorically, because there is no answer from the women and not much of a pause before the angels declare: “He’s not here. He’s alive.”
Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here. He is alive. The women came to the tomb expecting death. But instead, they find life.
Perhaps we find ourselves expecting death in our world.
Maybe we expect death in our relationships. We assume that circumstances can’t change:
“She’ll never forgive me for what I said.” “That friendship is too far gone.” “I’ve burned too many bridges.” “This marriage is too broken.” So we stop trying. We expect relational death instead of daring to believe in restoration.
Or maybe expect death in ourselves. “I’ll never get better.” “I’m too far behind, too flawed, too messed up.” We treat shame or addiction or regret as the end of the story — as if healing isn’t possible.
Or maybe we expect death in our communities. “This country will always be divided.” “This city is too far gone.” “This generation is lost.” We expect decline. We anticipate that death will have the final word.
As Christ followers here and now, we are called to ask the same question asked of the Christians who went to the tomb expecting to find the dead body of Christ: Why do you look for the living among the dead?
The angels’ question implies: You came here expecting death. But why? Didn’t He tell you life was on its way?
Menaul School, my prayer for us in the remainder of this school year is that our community expects life. I pray that we will expect life in our communities, which means that we believe that the Spirit can move through people who don’t look like us, believe like us or vote like us. I pray that we will expect life in our relationships: refusing to write people off, forgiving people seventy times seven, believing all people can change, refusing to freeze people in their failures. And finally, I pray that we will expect life in ourselves – that we may be soft with ourselves when we mess up, that we may know that our worst moments do not define all of who we are, that we may be sure that growth and healing is always possible, even when it is slow, awkward and hard.
Menaul School, let’s refuse to expect death in our lives. Instead, we can be certain of Christ’s resurrection hope: “That He’s not here. He is alive.”
In Peace,