So What Are You Going to Do? Psalm 118: 1-2, 14-24; Matthew 28: 1-10
Many years ago, a friend of mine was having a difficult time with a truly deplorable roommate in college. He listed all of the grievances and issues, and honestly, the other guy was truly a snotwad…just a hateful guy. I advised my friend that he need to address and handle the situation, and I asked him, “So what are you going to do about it?” A week or two later, I ask him about this situation. He said that he took my advice to heart put some of his contact lens saline solution in the roommate’s large bottle of fruit punch which in turn caused some intestinal upheaval. After a few moments of silence, I responded quietly, “I meant tell a dorm monitor or student life person, not…that.” And I never made that friend angry again, that’s for sure.
In many ways the story of the resurrection asks that same question of us—so what are you going to do about it? Please don’t mess the answer up like my friend did. The fact that Jesus died and was resurrected is a powerful piece of theology central to our faith. But it’s more than just a point of belief. It’s a call to live our lives in a way that reflects this mystery of faith. I’m mindful that the question, “So what are you going to do about it?” can seem a bit harsh in its challenge. But let’s look less at the stark push and more at what is offered. We are offered both opportunities and possibilities in this challenge.
Opportunities are much like asking what can I physically do here and now? In our Gospel lesson we read how the women came to the tomb where Jesus was. John’s Gospel adds the detail that they basically were going to embalm him for burial. But instead, they encounter an empty tomb and an angel awaiting them with good news. And what does that angel say: “Go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.” It's a very simple command—go and tell. I like to pause and note here that the first gospel messengers right from the tomb were women who went and told the men. But I digress.
How do we go and tell in a modern world? The message of hope has not changed, but the means of telling it has. Social media, YouTube, we often see them as platforms for some of the worst and most conspiratorial or weird of society, but they can also be used to spread a message of redeeming love and grace. I am sure that if someone told the old evangelists of years past that one day preachers would Tweet scripture, they’d be both baffled and enthusiastic. For centuries we have worked to share a timeless message in relevant ways to modern times.
Telling also necessarily involves doing. I remember visiting a friend’s church. He was working to grow and develop a fledgling church. One of his members came up after service and said rather pointedly, “Boy we really need some young families and children in this church.” My friend looked at her and said, “Okay, so tell me about the family ministry program you’re wanting to do, and who would you like to get to volunteer with you?” She replied, “What?” and backed away from him slowly as he challenged her do where she saw a need. If God gives you the idea, God is also giving you the opportunity to make it a reality. “Go and tell” is so simple that it presents unlimited opportunities to share good news of hope.
I watched a couple of members the other day talk to someone about coming from church. They made a connection, were gentle and friendly as that person opened up about their life, and they made them feel like there could very well be a place and a church to belong to…not a place that demanded a strict creedal adherence, not a place that comes with an exhaustive list of rules, but somewhere to find connections, welcome, and growth in God. Go and tell—it’s a call that offers endless opportunities of faith to us.
But the story of Easter and resurrection also offers us possibilities, and these are more spiritual and contemplative. In our Gospel reading, after the startled women leave the angel, they run straight into Jesus next. There’s almost a bit of a humorous hint in Matthew’s telling as the women bounce in confusion and bewilderment from the angel to Jesus, and he tells them to tell the disciples he will see them soon. There’s a lot of literature on seeing Jesus. Sandi Patty sang “I’ve Just Seen Jesus.” Fanny Crosby wrote “Face to Face with Christ my Savior.” What does it mean to “see Jesus?”
If we take the challenge “what do we do about it,” and live in the possibilities of what we can experience in faith, we can truly “see Jesus.” Think of that prayer or scripture that stirred your heart. Think of that hymn or anthem that moved you and maybe even had you tearing up a bit like the soulful and haunting sounds of “Were You There” on Friday. Think of times when you just feel this overwhelming sense of peace and hope. That may very well be God’s presence with you.
I remember when I was waiting on the results of the bar exam. It’s about three months from the test date to find out if you passed or not. All morning that cold, October day I waited in fear for the pass list to be posted. I remember I drove out to Starbucks for a pumpkin muffin and pumpkin coffee to calm myself down. As I was driving back to the church to pick back up work, I suddenly felt this calm and warming sense of everything would be okay. It was overwhelming, and I felt flooded with relief. It was maybe five minutes later that the list posted, and I knew I had passed the exam. Now, I might have passed by just a couple points, but nobody asks that question once you’re actually a lawyer, thank God.
In that moment I believe I saw, or rather experienced, Jesus. When we feel those stirrings in our soul, we know that God is there. And the Psalm tells us that God’s faithful love endures forever. The Psalm also goes on to offer this reminder: “I thank you for answering my prayer and giving me victory.” Christ’s resurrection calls upon us to live in this world of seeing the possibilities of faith at work in our lives—to live as people of hope in the knowledge that we, too, have something beyond pain and death. Lean into that possibility thinking and for there is security and comfort in remembering all of God’s promises to us, the first of which is that God’s faithful love endures forever.
The other day I was talking with a friend. She is nearing 80 years old, and said to me, “I’m really beginning to feel my age.” Then she added this thought. She said, “I am grateful for all the ways that God has challenged me throughout my life, both the good and the bad. I can look back over every moment and every day and see how God was with me, helping me to leave a legacy throughout my life, helping me to love others, help others, and grow as a person and as a faithful follower. I know with Christ there are endless possibilities in this life, and that even as I look toward my journey into whatever awaits, God will still be with me till the journey is over, and I am home. All of that is possible and even certain with God.”
I like how verse 17 of the Psalm says it, “I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the Lord has done.” Indeed, we live to tell that good news. Christ is risen indeed, so now what are we going to do about it? We have countless opportunities to live and tell the good news which brings us peace and hope. We have limitless possibilities of dwelling in faith and delving into that knowledge that God is with us all the way. For me personally, I look at it like this when Jesus said go and tell: has my life been better for the fact that I have believed in God’s promises and trusted in Christ’s love? And despite the truly difficult days, I still believe it most certainly has. And I pray that same assurance for you as well.
Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/786521843035201