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There
is a song I get in my head around Easter time.
It’s Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now”. It’s about that moment of “I’m going to be all
right” that eventually comes after your life has been utterly turned upside
down with a loss. Sorry, I’m just going
to have to sing it. If you know the
words join me.
I
can see clearly now, the rain is gone
I
can see all obstacles in my way
Gone
are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's
gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun
shiny day
I
think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All
of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here
is the rainbow I've been prayin' for
It's
gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun
shiny day
Look
all around, there's nothin' but blue skies
Look
straight ahead, nothin' but blue skies
I
can see clearly now, the rain is gone
I
can see all obstacles in my way
Gone
are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's
gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun
shiny day
I like that song at
Easter. Because it does what a worship
service on Easter is supposed do – be a moment of seeing clearly; seeing that
nothing is greater, nothing is more powerful than our living, loving, life-giving
God who raised Jesus from the dead and started a New Creation that will one day
blossom to be the whole creation filled to the brim with his glory. And just as God raised Jesus from the dead so
will he raise us from the dead to live in the New Creation that is no longer
diseased with Sin and Evil; no more Death; no more futility; no
more grief and sickness. Just everything
healed and filled with the glory of God.
I got a taste of
seeing clearly one warm December Sunday morning in 1999. At about 4:30 that morning my brother called
to tell me our Dad had finally gone to be with our Lord after a bought with
cancer. With it being Sunday and kind of
late in the game I didn’t want to have to back out of the church services I had
to conduct in my charge down in West Virginia.
Truth is I just wanted to be with God’s people that morning and worship. I did the main service in Marlinton and then
had to head up Elk Mountain to one of my little churches, Mary’s Chapel.
With it being so warm
that morning a fog had settled down bottom there in Marlinton. The road up Elk was a main road but it climbs
pretty fast and has a lot of turns. I
didn’t know what to expect with the fog. About two-thirds up the mountain I drove out
of the fog and the sun was bright and the sky was cloudless. There happened to be a fortuitously placed
overlook there so I stopped and got out and had a look. It was absolutely beautiful. The leafless trees were glistening silver in
the bright sunshine. The fog stretched
out before me like a blanket as far as I could see. I could see it clearly. My Dad was my best friend. That moment I knew everything would be all
right. God had set that moment up for me
just to tell me that.
This morning we gather
for worship. It’s Easter morning and God
wants you know everything is going to be all right.
Mary Magdalene,
probably Jesus’ closest friend, went to Jesus’ tomb, looking to be with him, to
anoint his body, say “Good bye”, to cling to him. He wasn’t there. Instead, there are two angels and the ask,
“Woman, why are you weeping? What are
you looking for?” as if she should have been expecting to find the tomb empty. I can’t imagine her shock. Then there’s a man standing behind her. She’s too shocked to see he’s Jesus. “Where has he been taken?” She demands.
“Mary!” the man says and she realizes this is Jesus. They have a moment meant for her alone. She goes back to the others and says, “I have
seen the Lord.”
Occasionally, like
Mary, we have moments with Jesus; moments in which we know he lives and so we
will truly live; moments that he’s orchestrated just for us just to let us know
that all things are in the hands of our loving Father in heaven and nothing,
not even Death can separate us from that love.
In these moments we sense that Jesus comes to us as he did with
Mary. He calls us by name; he gets our
attention in ways particular to us each…and we see clearly.
So also, in this
moment now we see our Lord. Gathered
here around this table. He is with
us. His body given for us. His blood shed for us. His presence with us. We can see clearly now. God raised Jesus from the dead. We’ve nothing to fear.
As those who see
clearly now, we must live as those who have hope; real hope. As Paul tells, “…be steadfast, immovable,
always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord
your labour is not in vain.” In this
world that is ate up with the futility of selfish ventures, we must conduct our
lives in such ways as to give other people hope. It is very easy for us just to do our thing
hoping the Lord will take care of us and bless us and those we love. But, Jesus doesn’t call us by name and give
us clear sight for our own sake. As
those who see clearly we must live our lives in such a way as to create a
hope-filled vision of God’s New Creation Day coming for everyone to see. Amen.
