Luke 24:1-12
How strange it must have felt to enter a tomb, a resting place, only to find that the body you came there to pay homage to, cleanse, and anoint is no longer there. Can you imagine the shock and disbelief these followers felt over the disappearance of the body of their Lord? Combined with the angelic words asking, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” it is no wonder that the disciples found it hard to grasp. All too often we act just as the women and the disciples in Luke’s account did; we are guilty of searching for the living among the dead.
We cling tightly to what we know and/or what is comfortable. Whether in ourselves or in our churches, we tend to refuse any change for new life that might threaten the “way it has always been done.” As Nancy C. Pittman states in the commentary Feasting on the Word, “The words of the unworldly messengers are a challenge to stop hanging on to the dead and to move into new life. They are reminders that the Holy One dwells wherever new life is born.” As we remember the resurrection today and every day, let us look for evidence of Christ anew around us in our lives, in our church, and in our community.
Prayer: Living God, help me to let go of that which hinders me from recognizing Christ anew. Guide me to realize your transformative presence in my life. Amen
Blake Traynham