Easter Sunday, April 9
Rev. Troy E. Medlin
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.
I remember the first time I came out. My dorm neighbor whispered the words, “I am gay.” And I said, “Me too.” At that moment I felt as if time had started to move in slow motion and I was stopped in my tracks. Like my life paused in front of me. It was almost as if those words came from so deep inside of me I was surprised that they finally found their way out of my mouth. Growing up in a small town and a church tradition that taught me I had to stay in the closet, I wondered if I would ever be able to say those words.
It was a miracle. I began to see, even through a glass dimly, a future that I did not think was even possible. Using the language of faith, it felt like death and resurrection. Something only God could do. Create a future that I thought, on my own, was impossible.
It is in the midst of those situations, when we feel like we are stuck in a tomb and cannot imagine life outside of it, that we encounter this Christ. Beyond the grave and alive again.
With the risen Christ walking in our midst, hope is not just a thought, but your future and mine is literally bound to hope. This is where we live. The promise of this day is that all those things that seem impossible will not be the end.
Whether it is our fractured planet, broken relationships, or the shame we feel in our hearts because of things we have done or things that have been done to us. None of those things need be final or will be final in Jesus Christ. Forgiveness is real. Reconciliation is a gift. And life bursts forth from tombs we thought were long ago sealed shut for all time.
We encounter the risen Christ. Set loose. In Word, Meal, and neighbors. And in the miracle of new life in places, relationships, and people we would have least expected it. Be ready. Resurrection can be scary at first. It disrupts the whole old order. It fills us with great joy, indeed.
Living God, you bring life from every death. May we be witnesses of the impossible life we have received and share that joy with all this dying world. Alleluia, Amen.
Encounters With Christ 