Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia! Sometimes though it doesn’t feel that way. When we stand by the grave of someone we love and our hearts feel empty and heavy. It is hard to yell Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia! When we are struggling with loss of job, or home, or relationship and our heart is breaking. It is hard to join the crowds who are proclaiming Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! When it seems that the world is so heavy on your shoulders that you cannot even get up. It seems crazy to even think Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!
But, in the end, the truth of the Easter promise is not dependent on how we feel, but on the trustworthiness of the one who offers the promise. There are times when we feel totally unlovable and then another we trust says “I love you”. We embrace the promise, not because we feel it, but because one we love says it. And when the one who died on the cross says that there is new life for us… even in our darkest moments… we dare to hope! Even if we cannot say it for ourselves. Then we lean on the people who God has given us to cry for us when we cannot cry for ourselves. There is a great story from William White: “Many years ago, Hans and his wife, Enid, escaped the war in Europe so that he could continue his life of teaching in the seminary. At first things were difficult because his English was not good, but soon he became one of our seminary’s most beloved teachers. The students loved him because he was warm and gentle and when he spoke the Scriptures came alive.
“Hans and Enid were very much in love. Nearly every day they took long walks together, holding hands. It warmed the hearts of students and faculty alike to see them sitting close to each other in church. “Then one day Enid died. Hans was struck with sorrow. For weeks he would not eat or take walks. The seminary president, along with three other friends, visited him regularly, but he felt lonely and depressed. He was experiencing the dark night of the soul. “On one of their visits, Hans said to his friends, ‘I am no longer able to pray to God. In fact, I am not certain I believe in God.’ “After a moment of silence, the seminary president said, ‘Then we will believe for you. We will make your confession for you. We will pray for you.’ “The other friends looked bewildered by their president’s words, but not knowing what else to say, they agreed. “In the days ahead the four men met daily for prayer. They made confession on behalf of Hans. They asked God to restore the gift of faith to their dear friend and they continued to visit him in his home. “Then, after many months, the four men all gathered in Hans’s living room. He smiled before he spoke. ‘It is no longer necessary for you to pray for me. Today, I would like you to pray with me.’ “The dark night of the soul had passed.”
Sometime we need others to cry for us and sometimes others need us to shout for them, Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Together we remember the promise in the best of times and the worst and we remember the love of the one who made the promise. In the shouting and in the silence we know it is true. Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!
With love for all our sisters and brothers in Christ, Pastor Cris and Pastor Dave
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