I get a truly odd feeling when I remember the first Easter Sunday of the pandemic. As you recall, the world had pretty much shut down, and communities of faith searched for alternative ways of doing worship. So, that morning, in a service that typically draws the largest attendance of the year, the only ones present in the sanctuary were the pastors, singers, an instrumentalist, and those managing the live stream. I remember thinking to myself, though I knew the answer, “This is not Easter. Where are all the people?” Indeed, part of the Easter experience is asking ourselves where we are in the story.
A few years back, theologian John Dominic Crossan made an interesting observation about the iconography (devotional art) of the resurrection of Christ. The Western Churches, those in the Roman Catholic orb, tend to show Jesus rising alone. In the Eastern churches, those in the Orthodox communities, are more likely to show others with Christ, often with their arms being grasped by Jesus as he pulls them up from the grave. Here, for example, is one image of the Resurrection, called Anastasis (Greek, meaning “up/rising”), which is found on the outside south wall of the Church of St. George, at the Voronet Monastery in Bucovina, Romania. In it, we see Jesus lifting Adam, with Eve beside him, from the place of burial. The “people” were part of the resurrection story. Theologically, it is significant that in some of the most ancient imaging of the resurrection, the Risen Christ is reaching out to bring humanity to risen life as well. Rather than seeing the resurrection as simply a demonstration of divine power, this tradition sees the resurrection as God’s graceful determination to welcome us all into the goodness of abundant life. We are, in the language of the Apostle Paul, risen with Christ.
On Sunday morning, we will gather to sing our faith, to proclaim resurrection, and to hear the story of Christ’s triumph over death. At the conclusion of the service, we will sing the Hallelujah Chorus together. The sermon is titled “What We Love Knows How to Find Us,”, language taken from a poem by Jan Richardson. The sermon flows from Matthew 28: 1-10 read by Tina Irvine and Colossians 3: 1-4 which will be read by Kathy Scheid. We will have a children’s moment, sing and pray. We will be led musically by the Chancel Choir, accompanied by organist Ilze Akerbergs, orchestral musicians, and the bell choir as well.
If you have been a part of the St. Mark’s community for years, or if you are just discovering us, we look forward to connecting with you on Sunday. To join the 10:30 service online, visit www.smumc.church, and click on the Live Stream banner.