Matthew 28:1-10
object in my bag.
This hat acknowledges a tradition in which the Fool, sometimes called a Jester or a Wit, often had freedom to speak truth to power. It captures the foolishness of the Christian message of hope in the face of a troubled world.
In Christianity there is a tradition of people who are recognized as holy fools. These people were considered bizarre and strange, obscene even in their witness, as they sought to follow Jesus. Today it would seem foolish to speak hope in the face of such hopelessness in the world.
When the women went to anoint Jesus’s body the word of both the angels and of Jesus to these terrified and confused women may have been as perplexing to them.
“Do not be afraid”.
Do not be afraid in a world ruled by Romans.
Do not be afraid when they had the power to put anyone to death.
Do not be afraid in the face of earthquakes and miracles.
The women would have gone to the tomb to anoint Jesus body. They would have been overcome by despair and grief and hopelessness.
Do not be afraid. These were words of reassurance meant to give hope in the face of all that life can throw at us. They seem like foolishness.
I wonder what it is that causes you to be here this morning.
What hope you are looking for? As a congregtaion we have a vision of coming to worship with a sense of joy and expectation.
And what hopelessness are you feeling about life in the world today?
There is war in the Middle East and in Ukraine.
Lives are being lost.
The precious finite resources of our planet
Are being consumed by those
Who lust for and compete for power.
Oil prices are being driven up.
The economic balance of every nation
Seems to be on a precipice.
We are in a cost of living crisis.
House are unaffordable and in short supply.
The climate is changing.
Weather events are becoming more severe.
The oceans are rising.
People are being displaced.
Ecosystems are being destroyed.
Species are dying out.
The oceans are polluted.
Clean water is scarcer than we may think.
And food security is a major issue.
Misogyny is on the rise.
Domestic violence lurks in the shadows.
Racism and xenophobia is one of our most pressing
issues.
Generative AI is rapidly changing the world.
We no longer can be sure of what is true.
Our biases are being fed and amplified.
AI is draining our resources.
And the future of employment is insecure.
It is not surprising that young people fear for their
future.
Nothing has meaning, nothing matters.
Nihilism is rife.
In the face of this doom and gloom comes the Easter message.
Do not be afraid? He is not here, he has risen.
How can we make sense of hope this Easter?
How can we even speak of hope with so many problems in the world?
The open mouth of the tomb might as much resemble a cry of horror as much as it shouts with joy at the risen Lord.
Having faith in God and this story may sound foolish when even the gospels cannot agree upon how the events unfolded that morning.
So as foolish as it might sound, I want you to hear these words spoken for you, “Do not be afraid?” And I want to explore ways in which we might develop a deeper sense of hopefulness.
Let us dig into this idea of hope. Krista Tippet in her OnBeing Podcast series on hope says, “The word “hope” is a little bit ruined from overuse and from flimsy, superficial use.”
As I thought about this I was reminded of the difference between SMART Goals and BHAGs. SMART goals are specific measurable achievable realistic & timely whilst BHAGs are Big Hairy Audacious Goals. I think an Easter hope is more like a BHAG.
When Paul speaks about hope I think he Paul spoke about.
For
in hope we were saved.
Now
hope that is seen is not hope.
For
who hopes for what is seen?
But
if we hope for what we do not see,
We wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:24)
This is a big hope not a domesticated hope. And waiting with patience in hope should not be thought of as a passive thing. I think it can involve what Christa Tippet calls developing a muscular hope. A hope that looks into the face of everything happening in our lives and in our world and continues to find hope. Hope in the possibility that there is something more, that we can hope in things unseen.
When the angels said to the women “Do not be afraid” the women were invited to begin a journey of learning to hope again. There was a gap between their expectation of finding Jesus body and what they encountered. Learning hope means being open to the unexpected possibilities of the miraculous. Learning to hope means listening deeply, reflecting and sharing with one another. It is about developing hope is a discipline of both the heart and mind which perseveres through the suffering, building character, and developing hope.
When Jesus appears to the women they discern his presence. Discerning hope is found in people who seek to seek to find God’s presence and peace in the world. One of my mentors Archbishop Michael Putney used to speak about when peace breaks out. Ross Gay, the poet, encourages people to look for delight in the world. Emily Dickinson is quoted as saying that “hope inspires the good to reveal itself”. As people of faith looking for the moments where we see peace break out, or we discern that there are things to delight in, helps us to strengthen our hope muscle and see the good in the world. Seeing the world with the eyes of our heart and so see signs that the kingdom of heaven has come close.
It is somewhat surprising, innovating even, that in all the gospels it was women who were the first witnesses of the resurrection. This was a daring choice that gave women a central place in the Christian story from the beginning. Sadly, something that has not always been apparent in the church. Seeing things from a different perspective is built into the Christian story. Innovating hope is about using our prophetic imagination refusing to accept the world as it is and instead seeing it as God intended it to be.
The theologian Tom Wright reflects on Christian hope in this way. He says, “To hope for a better future in this world - for the poor, the sick, the lonely and depressed, for the slaves, the refugees, the hungry and homeless, for the abused, the paranoid, the downtrodden and despairing, and, in fact, for the whole wide, wonderful, and wounder world - is not something else, something extra, something tacked on to the gospel as an afterthought … It is central, essential, vital, and life-giving part of it.” (Surprised by Hope by Tom Wright)
Imagining a better world does not mean turning away from the predicament of this world. Hope is also about serving. The women turned their lamenting into loving action as an act of courageous hope. As we look at the suffering in the world we are called to have a courageous hope, to choose bravely, to roll our sleeves up and to engage in goodness and kindness which makes the world a better place. The prophet Isaiah called the people to "Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow." (Isaiah 1:17) Hope is about actively becoming light to the world.
This brings me to the last of the reflections on building our hope muscle. The women are told to go and share their news with the disciples. They were sent back into the community of belonging. To be involved in a community of belonging hope means risking the intimacy of relationships with others who are not like us. In a world that is crying out in hope for a sense of community and belonging the church continues to exist as a place of belonging, even in brokenness, for churches are far from perfect places. We are drawn together into one body through baptism and as we share bread and wine.
Growing as lifelong disciples of Christ means growing in our hope even though we may feel as if it is still Friday afternoon or Holy Saturday. Here these words of hope. Do not be afraid. He is not here. He has risen. Take a few moments to think about how you can develop a muscular hope based in Jesus’s resurrection to find hope in things unseen amid the troubles within your life and in the world.
- Learning hope means being open to unexpected miracles.
- Discerning hope is about finding God’s presence and peace through others.
- Innovating hope involves using our creativity and imagination.
- Turning lamenting into loving action shows courageous hope
- A community of belonging hope requires taking risks in relationships with people who are different from us.
