This is article was printed in the Waltham News Tribune on March 29, 2013.
When this piece is printed, it will be Good Friday-the day Christians observe the crucifixion of Jesus. The cross is the central symbol of Christianity; it seems to be everywhere. The cross is a reminder of Jesus' refusal to respond violently to those he could have fought, and a sign of his forgiveness of those who caused his suffering. The cross is a powerful image for Christians. At the same time, the crucifixion is not the central event of the Christian faith. That's Easter, the resurrection of Jesus. Our faith is about life, not death. Life in the face of death, life that means that love will not be defeated.
We begin preparing for Easter on Ash Wednesday, the day that begins the season of Lent. At my church on that day, we hear words from the Prophet Joel: "Even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart. Gather all the people, the aged, the children, even the infants at the breast." Everybody is welcome. Everybody counts. We are created by God for love, and even when we fall short of God's desire for us we are still forgiven. The prophet Joel teaches that there is no one left outside, and it is never too late to come home.
The message of Easter is that simple: the love of the One who created us is bigger than our fear, bigger than our hatred, bigger than our violence. The love of God brings wholeness out of fragmentation, hope out of despair, and peace out of war. The women who followed Jesus went to the tomb to look for Jesus' body that day and the tomb was empty. "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" Their teacher was raised. Love will not be defeated.
Was a dead man resuscitated? Was his body stolen? What "really" happened? We don't know, and there are as many ways to believe as there are those who practice the faith. The most important thing is that we can be part of that love: love manifest in the way Jesus chose the margins over the center, the outcast over the respectable folks. God in Christ was, and is, alive. The love of God is alive to rich and poor, left and right, gay, straight, and transgender (as we hope the Supreme Court will affirm in response to the arguments of this week!); alive to the joyful and the sorrowing. And every time we choose love, we participate in that grand drama of life and love that is the resurrection. Every time our hearts are opened to another, every time someone stands up for peace and justice, every time we forgive, every time we share what we have with those who have less.
This Easter at my church, we'll celebrate baptisms and Eucharist, we'll sing joyful songs and shout Alleluia. God, I believe, will be present in water, wine, and bread. But God is also present today, and tomorrow, and in every dark corner of suffering and pain. God is present, in love that will not be defeated. Happy Easter!
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