Worship

In Professor Herman Waetjen’s reading of John, the Beloved Disciple is Lazarus.
Lazarus stops at the threshold because he knows what it is to be in a tomb. He stops short – when he sees the burial cloth – as the experience of death once again registers in his body. And then he goes on in – looking for the Jesus who came looking for him. Back in the tomb – this empty tomb – the Beloved Disciple experiences again his own resurrection in the resurrection of Jesus—he sees, and he believes. And he runs to tell the good news.

While the men run back to get the others, Mary lingers, weeping into the tomb. Jesus comes to her, but she thinks him the gardener. She sees him – Jesus – only when he calls her by name – just like he called Lazarus, by name – both called by name out of
their experience of death into life.

And as we see all this, as our gaze opens with Mary, we realize that we are in a garden on this Resurrection morning (“she thought him the gardener”). We are back in the garden – where the story began “in the beginning” – God with us – now, in the Risen Christ – the Word in flesh – Christ’s and ours. Our eyes open, with Mary’s, to a world where there is no separation – where no power not even death can separate us from God – where Resurrection is alive with us, and for us, and in us. And we see that this one whole life of ours is bigger than ever we imagined. This one whole life is bigger even than death.

The Prayer of St Patrick begins with the affirmation: “I rise today with a mighty strength.” The words of the prayer then cascade with all of the ways that God is present with us right here, right now, for the living of the day: God’s strength to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s hand to keep me. The strength of Christ’s baptism and crucifixion and burial and resurrection. The strength of heaven, swiftness of wind, depth of sea, firmness of rock. Christ above us, Christ beside us, Christ within us.

On this Easter morning, let that be our prayer… because it is true:

We rise today with a mighty strength
the power of Resurrection
in our one whole life.
Christ above us,
Christ below us,
Christ behind us,
Christ before us,
Christ beside us,
Christ within us,
Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!