“When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid.” [Mark 16:1-8]
Mary and Mary got up early the first Easter morning. They headed to Jesus’ tomb prepared for a challenging emotional day. As they walked towards the tomb, they spoke about their expectations for the day. Mary and Mary expected to find a large stone in front of the tomb. They expected to care for Jesus’ body. They did not expect a sacred conversation with a young man dressed in a white robe. They did not expect to hear “He has been raised.” It turns out God does not care about our expectations. God cares about being in relationship with the world. This often means showing up unexpectedly.
Over the course of the last six weeks, we have shared accounts of sacred conversation. These conversations all looked a little different but there was one theme that seemed to run through out. In almost every story, God showed up in an unexpected person, at an unexpected time, or in an unexpected place. Whether we were prepared or not, God showed up and engaged us in sacred conversation. Most of the time, these conversations were less dramatic than Mary and Mary’s encounter at the tomb. The encounters were no less sacred and no less a resurrection promise. The Easter promise we celebrate this morning is that no matter what we do, God is still present in our world reaching out to us in love. No matter how bad things might seem, God is still going to show up and attempt to engage us. Our job is to be open to God’s presence and to respond to God’s expected and unexpected presence in our world. This is not an easy task. We often overlook God. Even when we see God, sometimes like Mary and Mary, we are so challenged by God’s unexpected presence that we run away in fear.
Being aware of God and being open to God takes practice. One of the ways we can practice openness is by sharing stories of sacred encounter with one another. As you gather around the dinner table today with friends and family, I encourage you to share your Easter stories. Ask and answer the question: When have you had an unexpected encounter with God? –Kate Byers
God of resurrection, you break into our world every day. Help us to see your promise of love and life all around us. Open us to your presence so that we may respond to unexpected sacred encounters. Amen.