Lent
March 26, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 24:1-12

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. –Luke 24:1-5

Perplexed seems a bit mild for what the woman felt when they found an empty tomb. Perplexed might be what one would experience, if he or she had misplaced his or her car keys and could not figure out where they were. Even “at wit’s end” isn’t strong enough to me. Stronger than perplexed, “at wit’s end” does imply a bit of hopelessness. Anger might have been a response, “Who has desecrated the body of the Beloved One?” The numbness of grief might have been increased by this one more horrible event to add to the other events of the past week. So despondency might have resulted. But I wonder if a single one of them recalled Jesus’ words about being raised from the dead.

Of course the book of Luke was written 40 or more years after the fact and written most likely not by an eye witness. The women present told their story to others who told it to others who told it to Luke. In all honest, how the women felt or perceived the situation was not most likely the authors primary focus.

How watered down is our faith today? What is our primary focus as members of the Body of Christ called to bring about the world that Jesus model, lived, taught? Are we so caught up in arguing theology or raising the church budget or establishing who’s in charge of what that we have lost sight of the magnitude of the resurrection in our living and in our loving?

Prayer: Lord, give us the strength and courage to model our lives after yours. Help us get our priorities straight. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.