Easter Sunday
John 20.1-18; Isaiah 61.1-3; 1 Thessalonians 5.16-24
Rev Bridget Eli Adzo Dzakpasu Ben-Naimah
Minister in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana, and director of the national women's programme of her church.
Dearly beloved in Christ,
Today is Easter Sunday. It is the day on which Christians celebrate the victory won by Christ through his resurrection from the dead, the day when death was conquered and Christ's name was lifted high above every other name that was, that is, and that will ever be. From what we experience today, we can still say: Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
What response does all this Easter celebration require from us? Let us take our minds back to our text from John's gospel. Mary Magdalene met the risen Lord, and he gave her an assignment to go and tell the story. In fact, in almost all the gospels, women were given assignments to go and tell the story upon hearing about or seeing the risen Lord (Mt 28.7,10; Mk 16.7; Jn 20.17); according to Luke, the women did so even without that assignment (Lk 24.9). When Mary Magdalene reached the disciples, she said: "I have seen the Lord." Talking from what one has seen would always be better than talking from what one has heard.
Mary Magdalene had experienced the gift of grace and healing from the Lord. Jesus had driven seven demons out of her to heal her (Lk 8.2). She was a believer in Jesus. She helped support Jesus' ministry (Lk 8.1-3). She was present at the cross where Jesus died (Mt 27.56) and also at Jesus' burial (Mt 27.61). She knew who Jesus was. She easily recognized Christ even after he had been resurrected from the dead. Hence her exclamation: "I have seen the Lord!"
Upon receiving Christ Jesus into our lives, we are also required to go and tell the story. But we will tell it better when we have experienced Christ ourselves in our lives. Our personal relationship with him gives us a better foundation on which to stand and share Christ's story. We cannot preach in fullness if we have not seen and experienced the Lord. Our name "Christians" presupposes that we have accepted the Lord Jesus as our saviour and Lord; and by virtue of the great commission (Mt 28.19-20), we have also received the assignment to go and tell the story. Telling this story to others can be done not only by mouth but, more importantly, by our way of life. As the saying goes, "Experience is the best teacher."
The way we have seen the Lord is the way we will tell the story. At the heart of what we have seen is Jesus' understanding of his mission on earth; and we must take this as a whole "package", not picking and choosing the portions about which we will tell others. At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, he read in the synagogue at Nazareth a passage from Isaiah 6l.1-3 as a way of announcing his mission (Lk 4.16-21). Let us reflect on each of the elements of this mission.
Jesus' mission was to bring good news to the poor and oppressed. In fact we who are Christians today have nothing to render as payment for the salvation that Christ offers us. We are among the poor. Yet we still have the poor among the poor - those who have no clothing, no food, no place to lay their heads, and no money. Our assignment today is to continue Christ's mission by telling the good news of Christ's salvation and deliverance to the poor and needy. Let us share our lives with those who have been made homeless as a result of war. Let us not limit our ministry to well-to-do people. In some societies, certain churches are known as churches that cater only for the rich and high-class people. That was not Jesus' mission. Jesus preached good news to the poor, and we who celebrate Jesus' resurrection today should do the same through speech and action.
Jesus' mission was to bind up the brokenhearted. Having experienced Jesus' healing ministry, we should be ready to tell others about it and take up this ministry ourselves. There are many people living around us today who are brokenhearted. People are brokenhearted as a result of marital difficulties, health problems, unemployment, oppression from superiors, and the behaviour of their delinquent children.
It is required of us who have experienced the gift of grace and love from the risen Lord to reach out to these brokenhearted people. A word of assurance of the Lord's presence with them, a time shared in prayer with them, a compassionate hand of fellowship, and sometimes just our presence with them in silence is enough to enable them to feel God's presence. Let us not be the ones to worsen their brokenheartedness or to aggravate their situation by our comments and actions. Let us rather be the ones to help them put the broken pieces together.
In our world today, we have the problem of HIV/Aids. People infected by the virus are brokenhearted. Their lives and dreams are shattered. As if this were not enough, they are stigmatized and rejected by society and by their families in particular. We who have experienced the compassion that the risen Lord shows to the brokenhearted should be the first to reach out to Aids victims and assure them that all is not lost. Jesus still cares about them, and there is always some light at the end of the tunnel. The church should become a solace for these suffering people.
Jesus' mission was to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for prisoners - prisoners and captives taken by the evil one. Truly, there are many people around us who are still in darkness. We have children, colleagues, and family members who know nothing about the Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot be rejoicing about the risen Lord and remain unconcerned about such people around us. As parents and mothers in particular, let us go back to the practice of studying God's word with our children. Let us have daily devotions with them so that they will not remain in darkness. It is true that our work schedules are tight, but let us make some time to share Christ's word with those who are still in darkness and who do not know Christ yet. Let us bear witness to the light by our way of life as well so that people will see us and follow Christ (Jn 1.7). We do not have to preach sermons, but let us represent Christ and do what Christ would do.
Jesus' mission was to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour and the day of vengeance of God, and to comfort all who mourn. This has to do with waiting for God's vengeance upon those who perpetrate evil. Many wars and conflicts in our homes, societies, and countries occur as a result of people seeking revenge for themselves. As a result, many take the law into their own hands and do what is not lawful in society. Our presence as Christians who have experienced the beauty of waiting for the Lord's vengeance should encourage those who are aggrieved not to avenge themselves but to seek justice from the right quarters, waiting for God to work through them. This will make this world a more peaceful place to live in.
We who have experienced the risen Lord and have accepted to embark upon the assignment to go and tell Christ's story should continue Christ's mission of seeking the wellbeing of people - to "bestow on them the crown of beauty instead of ashes" (Is 61.3), which signify death and shame. We should be instruments of bringing joy to people rather than mourning. We should be instruments of encouragement rather than of fear or discouragement. Let us take a cue from Naomi, who as a result of her faith in God, encouraged Ruth to enter a better way of living, despite their great loss (Ruth 2.17-3.4).
We do not have to be in the ordained ministry to engage ourselves in continuing the mission of Jesus as people who know our Lord and are celebrating today his resurrection from the dead. Wherever we find ourselves to be, at home, in our workplaces, in the markets, on the farm, at church meetings, in schools or in hospitals, we can continue to preach about the risen Lord with our lives in fullness. It is a holistic matter where everything we have and every opportunity available to us can be dedicated to the furtherance of Christ's mission. Our whole life therefore becomes dedicated to making Christ known in all circumstances.
Social demands on us may make us feel that we cannot do this; but let us be encouraged by advice we find in 1 Thessalonians 5.16-22:
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil."
Remember! Faithful is the one who has called you to experience him and share the story. Christ will do the work. It is his mission. We are just instruments. We only have to make ourselves available, and Christ will work through us. But first, let us be sure that we have seen the Lord, that we have experienced him ourselves. Then we will be in a position to tell the story better and to reflect it better as well.
May God who has called you and me to be Christ's ambassadors make this Easter Sunday a time to rededicate our lives to continuing Christ's mission by telling the story and living it in relation to all life situations.
May God grant us all a joyful Easter!
Amen.
