Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!
The empty tomb on Easter morning is such a welcome and familiar story to celebrate!
I was surprised and moved, as I have often been throughout this devotional, by Wiltschek’s words. “What do we do when Jesus isn’t lying neatly where we expect him?”
In my past, I have been a part of churches which thought they had all the answers. Everything we needed to believe was concrete and explainable. All the loose ends were tied up in neat little black-and-white labeled packages. Right or Wrong, but not Sometimes. Yes or No, but not Maybe. Us or Them, but not Everyone. It was very clear and very comfortable, as long as we stayed inside the good boxes with the lids tightly shut. Jesus was always right where I expected him to be, inside those boxes (or maybe sitting on top of the lids to keep the evil out).
Since I’ve been in the Church of the Brethren, I’ve been continually prompted to unpack those tidy boxes. Life is messy. Love smudges the black-and-white labels into gray and tosses the lids to shed some light inside. Maybe I can learn from those who think differently. Sometimes it is okay to go outside of expected responses. Everyone is deserving of love. Instead of all the answers, I now find a lot of questions, but that is okay. Discovering possibilities as we journey in our faith is part of the growing process.
He is surprising, this “Savior who’s always in motion.” He’s not in a box any more than he is in the tomb. He is in us, and “our hearts are full of light”!