Easter Day; Year C -- April 21, 2019, St. Paul’s

Jim Melnyk: “Egg Shells and Easter”

It’s the late 19th century in the Ukrainian village of Dobromil – my grandparents’ home town. And, like today, it is Easter morning. The villagers have returned home from their late night/early morning worship. They break their Lenten fast by eating hard boiled eggs – the shells of which having been dyed bright red. These eggs are called kryshanky, and have long symbolized new life and resurrection for the Ukrainian people.

            As the Easter meal comes to an end the women of the village gather the broken shells from the kryshanky and walk to the stream which flows past the village. Singing songs of Resurrection joy and praise to God, the women toss the shells into the stream’s rushing waters. They toss the shells into the water and sing the same songs their mothers sang, and their mothers before them – a tradition that dates back centuries because of the stories that have been told in Ukraine for centuries.

            The stories they tell are of a gentle, kindly people who live in a distant place. They are mythical beings who live far away to the south of Ukraine, on the banks of a quiet river. The river is fed by all the streams of the whole world and is known as the “Saturday River” by some or as the “Sunday Waters” by others. The mysterious people who live there know little of our world, but tradition tells us that they, like us, are among the beloved by God. Their world is an innocent place, and the beings there know little of the challenges of our world.

The women in the Ukrainian village toss the bright red shells in the flowing waters. They trust the current will carry the shells away to that distant land bringing word that Easter has come – that the great Paschal Feast has once again been celebrated by God’s people throughout the world. Upon seeing the brightly colored egg shells drifting past their shores, the gentle ones in this far off land will know it is time for them to celebrate the Feast of New Life as well.

            We don’t live in such a distant, innocent land – in a place which remains hidden from the often hard realities of our world. But sometimes it seems as though we do live in a world which is increasingly losing the ability to mark the seasons – to remember and tell the stories – and to recognize and celebrate the power and promise of Resurrection Life which is offered to all of God’s people.

Our world surrounds us with glorious signs of springtime and the newness of life, and yet much of our world struggles on at the same time in fear and anxiety, brokenness and pain: self-centered and self-absorbed, unaware of each other’s suffering, and unaware of God’s promise of New Life in Christ. Some have never experienced the rising to new life which Easter celebrates.

Some have given away that promise – squandered or traded it away like true prodigal children. And some have had the hope of resurrection torn from their hearts by others – those who make choices at the expense of family, friend, or neighbor. And this morning we grieve for the more than 200 souls lost in the Easter Day bombings of churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, and for the many who are injured and afraid.

            We live in a world that desperately needs to hear the message of hope which springs forth with new power and new life in every generation. We live in a world desperately in need of transformation and changes. As God’s people we are called to remember, and to make present in our lives, the witness of God’s saving grace in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, who is the Christ of God. And so, we tell the story once more...

            It is early morning after the Sabbath...the first day of the week is dawning. Mary Magdalene, her friends Joanna and Mary, along with several other women, approach the tomb to finish anointing the body of their friend and teacher, Jesus. In other accounts of the story the women wonder aloud who will roll the stone away for them so they can complete their task.

            To their amazement, the stone has already been rolled back...and Jesus is not there! Two young men, dressed in dazzling clothing, are suddenly beside them outside the tomb. His description, however sketchy, is reminiscent of Old Testament visions of angelic messengers. They ask, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.” Don’t you remember what Jesus told you?

            Later, Mary and her friends will meet the risen Christ. Resurrection Reality will sing out with the morning star! And Mary’s life – and her friend’s lives– will be changed forever. Eventually even Peter and the men who followed Jesus will begin to understand this incredible moment – though for the life of me I still cannot understand Peter’s response – he just went home.

And yet despite the confusion of that first morning, the world will never be the same. The whole world is transformed by that one Resurrection moment. Life and yes, even death, are transformed by that one Resurrection moment. This is the power of God to make all things new seen once again in all its mystery – the love of God finding a new way to bring forth new life out of death – finding yet a new way to heal – a new way to restore – a new way to make the whole world new! Easter is God’s great “YES!” that drowns out the world’s most powerful “no!” Easter is the loving, liberating, and life-giving love of God breaking forth and giving this present age hope – our present age – the power to transform all of our todays.

            “The message of the Resurrection is that this present world – [this present time] – matters [to God]…the problems and pains of our world today matter; [The message of the Resurrection is] that the living God has made a decisive [claim] in this world through God’s healing and all-encompassing love; [the message of the Resurrection is that in the name of this great love of God,] all the injustices, and all the pains of this present world, must now be addressed with the news that healing, justice, [mercy,] life, and love have won the day!” (Synthesis)

            This is the story which must be told time and time again – in every generation – in every time and place. Our world will never stop hungering for the hope and promise of God’s Easter Grace. Despite the violence of this age, ours is a story of hope and consolation for those who are oppressed and in need of God’s love in their lives. It’s a beacon of light for those who have lost their way and cannot find their home in God. Ours is a story of incredible light – a light that is meant to shine in the hearts of all, and meant to mend whatever brokenness abides within us. It is comfort and it is strength even for those who know the story, but have forgotten how to tell the tale. And it is a story of challenge and transformation for those who oppress or cast aside their sisters and brothers, or for those who have simple lost the desire, or the ability, or the will, to believe in a God of compassion and grace.

            As the egg shells tossed in the village stream brought tidings of Easter joy to the gentle people at the ends of the earth’s waters, so we are to bring tidings of Resurrection Joy to the people whose lives we touch every day. We are the People of God who are called to tell the story – and to live the story – a people who are called to touch the lives of family, friend, and stranger, as living reminders of God’s great love for all people for all time. We are called, and given power, to be bearers of resurrection life – to help a world remember how to mark the seasons; to help a world turn from its brokenness and celebrate new life.

            We proclaim our faith in Christ on this most holy day, through the hearing of God’s Word, through the prayers, and in the breaking of bread. We gather at the holy table this morning and take into ourselves the body and blood of our risen Lord! We leave this place and go out into our homes, our schools, our work places, and our communities – each one of us a part of the body of Christ given for the world. Each of us celebrating the new life we continue to receive in Christ Jesus.

The risen Christ brands us with the story of God’s saving grace – burning it upon our hearts and tending that blaze deep within our souls. We are an Easter People, my friends. And because of that we have been called to live as a people who have been raised with Christ – people given the grace and love and power to be People of God.