EASTER IS NOT OVER UNTIL GOD SAYS SO

      Most people like to know the complete ending of a story or movie. We want to know what happened to each character. It bothers some of us if the ending is not to our liking or seems to not end at all, or maybe is continued. But if we look at the Bible story, it really has no ending. The Old Testament development of the Jewish people continued into the New Testament and is very evident today. The Old Testament prophesies point to the coming of Christ as Christ establishes his Church. The Church continues today with its unfinished story of our part in the redemption of the world and Christ’s second coming. It is impossible to put a nice big bow around the story of Jesus and present it as a complete package, because the story of Jesus and his relationship with us is eternal.    

      In our celebration and understanding of Easter, we come to what we think is the climatic ending to the wonderful story of Jesus, his birth, ministry, death, and resurrection. We come to the end of Lent and Holy Week. We ask, “What is next? Is there any more of the story?” If we are truly followers of Jesus, Easter and resurrection are not the ending of the story, only the beginning. The story of Emmanuel, “God with us,” begun at Bethlehem continues. There is a dark pause at the crucifixion as the universe holds its breath, but the Easter resurrection is the resumption of the story; the story of God’s never-ending love for his people. The story is not over until God says it is over. So, we ask our selves, “What’s next? What are you and I to do with this Easter story? How are we to take resurrection and fit it into our daily lives?” In our scripture for today, John gives us a quick look into the life of the resurrected Christ, life after Good Friday. Christ not only defeated death and triumphed over the devil, but he also returned to us. Jesus could have left without a word. Instead, he breathed his Holy Spirit upon us, and empowered us to follow him all the days of our lives. Jesus continues to return to us and strengthen us in our weakness, discouragement, and humanity. He returns day after day to cleanse us from unrighteousness, to call us, and to raise us from our deadly slavery to sin.

      In John 20:19-31, Jesus tells us that Easter is not over, it has only begun. If we are to be “Easter” people, we are not to sit comfortably behind closed, locked doors of our churches and be content that we are the Church. Jesus didn’t say, “Happy Easter.” He said, “Fear not! Embrace my peace!” Jesus didn’t say, “God bless you all. Look how nice and comfortable you all look.” He said, “I’m back, and I have much for you to do, places for you to go, and things I want you to say to the whole world. Get up and get busy!”

      What about our tomorrow? Next week? And the rest of the year? Has this Lenten season and Easter made any difference in our relationship with Christ? Has the resurrection stirred us to realize that this is not the end of Jesus’ story or the end of our story? What about our decision to become one of Jesus’ disciples? Have we let daily life take the sharp edge off our relationship with Jesus? Easter is in the “now” tense. It is about following Jesus now. It is about living as if God is victorious, unstoppable, and triumphant now. Easter is not so much, “Do you believe that Jesus was raised from the dead?” but, “Will you dare to follow Jesus now that he rules?” Easter moves us quickly from the doctrinal statement, “He is risen,” to a calling, “Go into your family, community, and the world and do something about it. You are “sent” people, so go and tell my story.”

      So in Easter, the story continues within the lives of each one for the rest of our life and beyond. God is not finished with us yet. The story is alive. Easter is not over until God says so.                           Rev Tim McConnell, Long’s Chapel UMC, March 31, 2013