Reverend Marci Scott-Weis, MDIV

So dear ones, today we celebrate resurrection. Trying to understand what the resurrection was and what it means has been a topic of discussion, debate, conflict, and contemplation for centuries, all the way back to the earliest stories of Jesus.

Now, there are many different ways to understand resurrection. Some of us understand it as the physical raising of Jesus or the metaphorical or symbolic raising of Jesus. Some of us understand resurrection as the restoration of life symbolically or literally. Some of us understand resurrection as the act of bringing new life out of old, of beginnings emerging out of endings, sort of like what you might experience hiking in the spring down at Mt. St. Helens and seeing life emerging from the ash field or sort of like coming across a nursery tree in the forest and seeing how these trees, in their death, provide new life, new hope or sort of like seeing how a rain storm can spark a dessert bloom, bringing vibrancy and life where before there was seemingly none. All of these understandings of resurrection are welcome here.

This year here at MUCC for our Lenton journey to this Easter morning, we have been working with the theme of God’s abundant love. We have witnessed that through music, dance and stories like the resurrection of Lazarus, where over the top abundance of love and life occurred when it was least expected. When at what appeared to be the end of Lazarus’ story, new and unexpected beginnings surprisingly emerged, resurrected life in relationship with God shockingly appeared, overflowing with abundant love.

And this Lent we also witnessed abundant love through the story of Jesus’ very last act of ministry, the washing of his disciples feet. In that story, we heard of Jesus on his knees, ministering tenderly and lovingly to his friends, including the one who betrays him. In that story, we were reminded that the Way of Jesus is of abundant love lived out in humility, compassion, mercy, and empathy. The story of Jesus washing his disciples feet is an example of what we MUST hold all of those in positions of power accountable to and what we MUST offer to the world as the truthful alternative to the hateful and hate-filled narratives out there. Abundant love, lived out in humility, compassion, mercy and empathy!

All that we have done here at MUCC this Lenten season has led us here to this Sunday morning to celebrate resurrection. Except this year, there is a big challenge to that theme of celebration, because for so many of us, celebration and hope may not be what we are feeling. Instead, for some of us, it may still feel like Holy Friday, a day that was for Jesus, one of fear, abandonment, pain, despair, and death. For some of us, it may still feel like Holy Saturday, a day that was for Jesus, one of waiting, of not knowing what was to come, of endings with no vision or hope of new beginnings. The last few months for many may have felt like a whole lot of Holy Fridays and Holy Saturdays!

It can be hard to see God’s abundant love, rich with new life, when we’re witnessing the elimination of essential safety nets, the deterioration of relationships with our neighbors, or the expulsion of hundreds of thousands who have called this country home. It is fair to wonder where is God when so many are

experiencing economic hardships, targeted discrimination, hate filled rhetoric or the elimination of what we may have thought were essential rights. It is fair to wonder where is the God of abundant love and new life.

And it is fair to wonder every year and maybe especially this year, what was resurrected on that Easter morning so long ago. And perhaps more importantly, what does it have to say to us today when so many are encased in darkness and barely breathing, still feeling like we are back on Holy Friday and Saturday?

Well to answer those questions, it would probably help to go way back to the story of Jesus’ ministry and life and remind ourselves about the expansive and gracious sort of abundant love that Jesus taught and modeled. The abundant love that Jesus taught and modeled, all of the way up to his death, was one where the least of us is put first, always, where all are offered healing graciously and extravagantly and welcomed to the table, especially those who weren’t welcome at other tables like strangers, refugees, and outcasts. He lived a love centered in nonviolence, embracing the path of peace and seeking justice for the oppressed in all ways including standing with and for those on the outside, the marginalized, the ones without status or a voice. It was a love built out of radical forgiveness, compassion, empathy, equality and mercy.

Jesus loved in the most confounding manner, on his knees, tenderly washing the feet of the one who he knew would betray him. He loved in the biggest and boldest manner, calling all back to community and relationship with each other and with God. And for that, he was executed by the powers of his time. Not to atone for anything, that’s nothing you will ever hear me preach, but instead, Jesus was executed because the sort of big, bold and abundant love that he taught and modeled with his life, was so very threatening to the powers that be.

We know that something happened after Jesus died. When the Roman Empire executed who they believed to be a rebel leader like Jesus, almost universally, the movement died with the leader. Yet we know that somehow, against all odds, Jesus’ story continued in a radical new way, and his followers went out and told and taught and lived Jesus’ story. Those frightened followers somehow found the courage to go out and tell Jesus’ story of love.

So kind of like the story of Lazarus, when Jesus’ story appeared to be over, somehow new life emerged in an unexpected way. When it seemed like the darkness had won, instead somehow there was surprising and unanticipated glorious light. Holy Friday and that time of despair and death passed away. Holy Saturday and that time of endings with no vision or hope for new beginnings came to a close. New life emerged out of Jesus’ death.

That powerful message of big, bold and abundant love centered in humility, compassion, mercy, forgiveness and empathy did not die with Jesus. That call for peace, nonviolence, justice, equality, and transformation…. continued on. That is what was resurrected on Easter morning. That is the enduring and powerful message that we celebrate today! Abundant love will always have the final word.

Central to Christianity’s understanding of Jesus is that God’s love is shown or revealed to us in Jesus’ messages of how to BE and how to LOVE in this world. And that looks like feeding the hungry,

welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, protecting the refugee, caring for the poor, offering gracious and lavish healing wherever possible, standing with and for the outcast, working for peace, advocating for the voiceless and demanding justice for the oppressed. That is what Jesus taught and lived. And for that he was accused, mocked, silenced—and yet he refused to stop bearing witness to love and justice. In the end, he was executed because of that message.

That makes it a very dangerous message indeed! So, it is fair to wonder…why is that message of love so threaten the status quo, why is it so very dangerous? Because love will always, ultimately triumph over and undo unjust systems of power. Because love has the power to topple empires. And that’s why it’s not just a dangerous message but also it’s also a costly message. Empires and unjust systems of power are not toppled without struggle, or without opposition. Easter Sunday’s do not happen without Holy Friday and Holy Saturday’s.

Yet, regardless of the cost, abundant love is how we will overcome and turn the tide towards peace, mercy, and justice. Easter Sunday reminds us that it is our job to keep showing up with love, to speak even when our voices shake. Easter Sunday reminds us that it is our job to live out Dr. Marting Luther King’s call ‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

Because what we have in our hearts is so much stronger than the dark. In our hearts, we carry the enduring and resurrected message of big, bold, abundant love! Big enough to overcome any Holy Friday or any Holy Saturday. Big enough to bring down any unjust system. Big enough to topple any empire. What we have in our hearts is so much stronger than all of that!

So my friends as we go forth, may we offer that enduring and resurrected, abundant love in our hearts to everyone we encounter. And may we be the bringers of the light and the love that this world so desperately needs. May it be so! Amen