Fear and Great Joy

Hey y’all,

I have been thinking about Matthew’s account of the resurrection lately—specifically one phrase.

In Matthew’s telling, Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” go to see the tomb Jesus has been laid in. When they arrive, there is a great earthquake. They see an angel descend from heaven, roll away the stone, and sit on it. The soldiers guarding the tomb are so scared they pass out. The angel says to the two Marys, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you” (Matthew 28:5-7). Then Matthew tells us that the women left the tomb quickly with “fear and great joy” (v. 8).

Fear and great joy.

Our theme this Lenten season has been “Everything in Between.” We have sat in the middle of many things, intention and action, stranger and neighbor, faith and works, rest and growth, lost and found, and righteousness and mercy. Jesus has met us in the midst of each of these in-betweens. In stories of neighbors, sisters, fig trees, sheep, and tax collectors, Jesus has met us there. Now on Easter, we find ourselves with Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” in between fear and great joy.

I imagine many of you might be finding yourself filled with fear right now. There is a certain degree of fear of the unknown of just how far our current presidential administration might go. Then there is the fear of what they are actually doing—the ways they are defunding necessary public service programs, the people they are deporting, the abductions of students who have exercised their right to free speech, their attempts to erase trans folks, and more. There is a lot to fear right now.

But joy is still present in big and small ways. There are signs of joy and life all around us—in the cherry blossoms starting to bloom, in the sun staying in the sky longer each day, in the moments of laughter shared with a friend, in the delight on your child or grandchild’s face as they enjoy ice cream on a warm day, in the chorus of your favorite song that you just can’t help but sing along to. Fear is present and real for many of us right now, but so is great joy.

As the Marys run to tell the disciples that Jesus has risen, as they run full of fear and great joy, Jesus meets them on the road saying, “Do not be afraid.”

I never tire of Jesus’ resurrection. Each year I need it more than the last. Each year I need to be reminded that life does defeat death, love does defeat hate. Death, hate, and evil do not get the last word, but Jesus does. Jesus always gets the last word, and nothing can keep him in that grave—no Empire, no army, no president, no fear—nothing can keep him in that grave.

My friends, this Easter may you be reminded beyond a shadow of a doubt that death does not get the last word, that life truly does defeat death. Though you may find yourself filled with both fear and great joy, take heart in knowing that Jesus will always meet you right there.

Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!

Peace,

Rev. Leigh