The
angel said: don’t be afraid.
The
newspaper article is about the Mother of All Bombs the USA dropped on
Afghanistan, and how Russia has the Father of all Bombs, which is even bigger, and
on the news last night there was a story about North Korea and weapons.
The
angel said: don’t be afraid.
It
seems that so much of our time and expertise goes into killing and maiming and
destroying people and buildings and the earth. Just like Pax Romano – the peace
of the Roman Empire. Do what you are told, don’t make a fuss and no-one gets
hurt. Except we all are hurt by the constraint and the fear that such a regime
imposes.
The
women who went to the tomb early on Sunday morning, were not expecting anything
to have changed. The dead body of Jesus had been wrapped in a cloth and placed
in a tomb, and sealed tight.
Then Matthew
writes of an earthquake;
and
the stone is rolled away;
and
an angel says to them: don’t be afraid.
I
don’t know about you, but if the person who I thought was God had just been
executed, and then then the second earth tremor in 3 days and then an angel
speaking to me, well I think I might be terrified.
As people who believe in the life changing power of
resurrection, in whatever way we understand that, it can be tempting to end the
story here. We have been through Lent, and Holy Week, and read or listened to
the long chapters of betrayal, arrest, mistreatment, and crucifixion, and
finally we get the happy ending to the story. Jesus is alive. The end.
But the resurrection is not the end of the story.
The story of God’s love did not start with the birth of
Jesus and did not finish with the death, or even resurrection of Jesus.
I
wonder what it means to not be afraid, when we live in a world where
it is easy to see the pain of Good Friday; tragedies of suicide; terrorism;
famine; child abuse; violence in the home; ….
How
might resurrection speak to the pain and fear that infects our lives?
The story of God’s love for the world and each one of us
continues as long as we tell the story and live the story.
Last
Sunday I spoke about how Jesus came to change the game, to bring in a new way
of being, a new kingdom.
Jesus didn’t come to beat the Romans with military might.
Jesus didn’t come to beat the Romans with military might.
Jesus
didn’t come to beat the religious leaders in spirituality contest.
Jesu
came to show a different way of living.
One
without fear
One
without oppression
Without
violence
Without
hate and poverty.
A letter to the editor this week suggested that instead
of weapons, the US could drop bombs of food and books and medicine. This reminded
me of a story:
“Maybe we
should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon.
A happiness weapon.
A beauty bomb.
And every time a crisis developed,
we would launch one.
It would explode high in the air -
explode softly - and send thousands, millions,
of little parachutes into the air.
Floating down to earth - boxes of Crayolas.
And we wouldn't go cheap, either -
not little boxes of eight.
Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in.
With silver and gold and copper,
magenta and peach and lime,
amber and umber and all the rest.
And people would smile
and get a little funny look on their faces
and cover the world with imagination.” [i]
A happiness weapon.
A beauty bomb.
And every time a crisis developed,
we would launch one.
It would explode high in the air -
explode softly - and send thousands, millions,
of little parachutes into the air.
Floating down to earth - boxes of Crayolas.
And we wouldn't go cheap, either -
not little boxes of eight.
Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in.
With silver and gold and copper,
magenta and peach and lime,
amber and umber and all the rest.
And people would smile
and get a little funny look on their faces
and cover the world with imagination.” [i]
What if instead of seeing how has the biggest bomb that
can destroy more people, we didn’t retaliate, we bombed with love and hope and beauty
and food?
What if instead of seeing who is the fastest or the brightest
or the one with the most toys, we encouraged each other to live out the life God
has given us, to use what we have for the good of the Kingdom of God?
The story of the life and death and resurrection
continues to be told today. Because the women at the tomb went and told the
disciples. And after Jesus appeared to the disciples, they wrote of their experiences.
Peter spoke: We
are witnesses of everything that he did in the land of Israel and in Jerusalem.
… And he commanded us to preach the gospel to the people and to testify
that he is the one whom God has appointed judge of the living and the dead.”
Both
the angel and Jesus tell the women: don’t be afraid, and then ‘to go and tell’.
Don’t
be afraid, go and tell.
What
story do you have to tell?
What
story do you have to tell of new life,
of light after darkness,
of peace in the midst of pain,
of joy in the midst of fear.
of light after darkness,
of peace in the midst of pain,
of joy in the midst of fear.
What
story do you have to tell?
Tell
that story and
Tell
the story of Jesus –
The
story of compassion,
of
grace,
of
inclusion,
of
acceptance,
of
healing,
of
liberation.
Tell
it in words and actions
Tell
it with your time and your money,
with
your voice and your hands,
tell
the story of love with your life.
Don’t
be afraid, go and tell
