In the last half of Holy Week, we see the disciples have a wide range of experiences. At the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, Jesus washes their feet, showing how "he loved them to the end" (John 13.1). After his betrayal, arrest, and trial, Jesus is crucified before his mother, Mary Magdalene, another Mary, and the beloved disciple (John 25-27). The two Marys see Jesus' tomb closed later that afternoon (Matthew 27.59-61). These same two women become the first witnesses of Jesus' resurrection (Matthew 28.1-10). In Holy Week, we commemorate all of the emotions the disciples would have experienced in these few days. I wonder on this Easter Sunday, where we see ourselves in this story?

In our walks of faith, we sometimes find ourselves like the disciples on the night of the Last Supper. The disciple Peter was so upset that Jesus would wash his feet that he told Jesus, "You will never wash my feet" (John 13.8). Peter of course allows Jesus to do this, once he realizes what is at stake, but we can see how shocked Peter is at Jesus' love. In our own lives, we experience times where we are so amazed at God's love for us that it seems overwhelming. In these times, let us remind ourselves of the greatest display of God's love by singing,

"Now the green blade rises from the buried grain,
wheat that in dark earth many days has lain;
love lives again, that with the dead has been;
love is come again like wheat arising green."

At other times, our faith feels like it must have felt for the two Marys to see Jesus hung on the cross and then buried. We know the story as a whole, but for these women and for the other disciples, this could have been the end. The one in whom they had put all their trust, all their faith was gone. Our walks of faith experience many bumps and twists. We sometimes feel disappointed at the way that God has acted or failed to act in our lives and as though God has been shut off from us. In these times, let us be encouraged by singing,

"In the grave they laid him, love by hatred slain,
thinking that he would never wake again,
laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen;
love is come again like wheat arising green."

This week we start our celebration of Jesus' resurrection. How shocking and joyful it must have been for the two Marys who first witnessed the resurrection. But their joy was preceded by a time of sadness. They had come to the tomb with spices they had prepared for Jesus' burial (Luke 24.1); they had come there to mourn, to lay their hope to rest. We too experience such times of surprise in our lives. Whether it is at church during Communion, in personal prayer, or in a conversation with another, God surprises us and points us to the one hope that we do have. In these times, let us sing,

"Forth he came at Easter like the rising grain,
he that for three days in the grave had lain;
raised from the dead, my living Lord is seen;
love is come again like wheat arising green."

Lord, we are people of diverse experiences. Our own journeys of faith mirror the experiences of the disciples. In whatever circumstances we find ourselves, we pray that you would remind us of the hope that we have in your resurrection. Help us as we celebrate the resurrection to be mindful of the experiences our neighbors may be having, just as on that first Easter there were still some who had doubt. Let us all sing together,

"When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
your touch can call us back to life again,
fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been;
love is come again like wheat arising green." Amen.
  (Now the Green Blade Rises, hymn 379 ELW)

Contributed by Philip
Sunday April 4, 2010
Liturgical Year C Week 19
Sunday Gospel reading:
First Sunday of Easter