From Darkness Into Light

Lent is now over and many of us are back to drinking coffee, eating chocolate, having a fine glass of wine, playing on our smartphones and life feels normal again. I love Lent, because it’s an excellent way to prepare ourselves for the Easter Season and draw us closer to Jesus.

This Easter Sunday, our pastor read the Gospel of John and the story of The Empty Tomb. Not a single sound could be heard throughout the church, but the Holy Scriptures. Its meaning is different for me every year, but ultimately the end result never changes.

Mary of Magdala appeared to the tomb of Jesus early in the morning, to find it empty. Frantic, she tells Simon Peter and the other disciple to see for themselves. Now what I found interesting is the basic narrative of this story in John’s Gospel— we are told of another disciple that Jesus loved, but not clearly mentioned by name. So, I substituted my own name in the scriptures to get a feeling of what it may have been like to be there with Simon Peter and Mary of Magdala, who was following swiftly behind.

So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.

Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed, for they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead.

John 20:3-9

If I were to enter a tomb and notice that the body of a loved one was not there, the first question at hand might be, was the body stolen? This is completely a valid question and one that may be asked by anybody. My question is why would anyone come to the tomb of Christ and steal the body leaving all the linens there? Do you really think grave robbers would leave burial clothes behind, or just try to get out of there as quickly as possible? And what kind of thief would kindly wrap linen, covering Jesus’s head and neatly roll it up in a separate place?

“For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

Jesus keeps his promise of rising from the dead and serving, before even leaving the tomb. Jesus rolls up the linen and places it off to the side to show us that he has defeated death and is ready to serve and continue his mission. This is what the Resurrection is about.

How can we take situations in our lives and make them Resurrection moments. We often find ourselves in the dark with hopes of seeing a light or living a life of serenity only to remember what our lives used to be like. Christ is asking us to be in the light and walk with it. He is asking us not to fear or fret over small stuff, but to take the small stuff and make it enormous and shine like Christ walking out of the tomb to serve. So, make this Easter Season count and be that brightest of white light exiting the darkness of Lent, by proclaiming the Good News!

Lord, we thank you for giving us eternal life and for serving us right out of the tomb. Amen