Could We Start Again Please?

Could We Start Again Please?

Luke 24.1-5

What a Time It Was!

What a time it was! That all too brief period of Jesus’ ministry, traveling from village to village in Galilee with a simple message of healing and hope.  And what a time they had, his closest circle of disciples, privileged to witness, to experience first-hand an incursion of divine grace and love unparalleled since the creation of the world!

What a time it was!  Just how long had it been since Jesus called them from their boats, promising to make them “fishers of men,” one year, three years?  It was hard to remember.  Too much had happened: the insightful, challenging parables that seemed to place them directly in the presence of God; the crowds who followed, seeking wholeness, a word of encouragement, or a simple blessing; the intimate times around the fire at night, away from the crowds, when Jesus revealed his heart to them; times, it must be said, that grew uncomfortable when Jesus began to hint at topics such as martyrdom, suffering, and death.

Missed Opportunities

What a time it was!  But now, at the holiest festival of the year, Passover, it was finished.  Jesus had been arrested; summarily tried and convicted on a charge of sedition or even treason against Rome; and crucified, executed in a humiliating manner reserved for the lowest, vilest offenders.  What had gone wrong?  How could a time of such light and promise turn so quickly into a time of darkness and despair?

Thoughts such as these must have passed time and again through the minds of the disciples after Jesus’ execution; through their minds, yes, but not their hearts, for their hearts lay cold and lifeless like the body of Jesus in the tomb.  Their high expectations of Jesus had quickly unraveled, and in their place, they felt only disenchantment and despair.

They were disappointed that Jesus had not shown himself to be the Son of David long awaited in Israel.  As King, he would have reestablished the throne of his father David.  As King he would have dealt quickly and harshly with Rome.  Surely, he missed this opportunity when the crowds welcomed him to Jerusalem not one week earlier.

If not a king, then what?  At least a Prophet like Moses who would guide his people into a second promised land, into an age of enlightenment, peace, and contentment; a Prophet honored not only in his own country, but around the known world.

But Jesus consistently missed every opportunity to seize the mind and heart of the people, to mold them to his will, and insure his place of honor among them.  “Wait,” his followers cried, “you don’t understand your opportunity here Jesus”; “perhaps you should consider another approach, Jesus”; “surely you are not serious, Jesus”; until finally, things got so confused, so disoriented, so dangerous, that the disciples posed the only question left to them, “Could we start again please?”

Could we start again please?  Perhaps, then, things would go our way, life would turn out the way we planned, and Jesus would be the Messiah we expected him to be.  But they could not start again.  Jesus was dead, and they, his followers, cowered in fear and despair.  Their expectations had been shattered, and their lives lay in ruin.

Then Came the Dawn

They suffered through one night, two nights; then came the dawn, the dawn of his rising!  In the time required for the eye to adjust to the first ray of dawn’s light, God spoke anew the divine creative word; a word unused since the beginning of time; and God said to the Christ, “Arise.”  And from the darkness of death the Christ arose, transformed, free for all time, indeed, for all eternity from the grasp of death and darkness.

On this morning, their lives transformed forever by the presence of the risen Christ, the disciples abandoned their previous expectations, discarded their disappointment; peeled off despair like layers of a cocoon and emerged to share the good news of resurrection with all who would listen!  Those who had abandoned, even denied, Jesus, were granted a vision of faith that would take them to the ends of the earth to touch lives, heal wounds, and transform our world.  And those who had shuttered as Jesus talked of suffering for the needs of others were granted a courage of faith that would see them through rejection, suffering, and death.  His expectations became theirs, his life theirs, and his Spirit their constant companion.

A New Beginning

Almost two thousand years later, we stand in the place of Jesus’ first disciples; and we, too, bring our shattered expectations with us as we approach his tomb.  Life doesn’t turn out the way we plan; there is illness, disappointment, or unexpected tragedy.  Our efforts at living the life of faith often fall short; and we concern ourselves more with our place in the kingdom than with the needs of others.  Or we find ourselves caught up in a way of life that runs counter to our best desires.

We reach a point, like the followers of Jesus, when we exclaim: “Could we start again please?  If I could just start over, this time I’d get it right, this time I’d work harder, this time I wouldn’t make the same mistakes.”  But the good news of the resurrection is this, we don’t have to start again.  God has made all things new through the resurrection and from this moment on, every day is a new beginning.  The tomb of Jesus is empty!  He has arisen!  And we are invited to deposit in that tomb our lost and shattered expectations and all our failed yesterdays, as we follow the risen Christ in his way of light and peace.

We have seen a great light, the light of resurrection; and that light will illumine our way as, together, we seek to serve this community, seeking the way of peace and service to others.