On Living Like Anything is Possible
Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024
Traceymay Kalvaitis
Isaiah 25:6-9
“On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the covering that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the LORD God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, “See, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
John 20:1-18
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’s head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed, for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and she told them that he had said these things to her.
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Today’s sermon is titled On Living Like Anything is Possible.
We have made it to another Easter. Four years ago on Easter, April 14th of 2020, the cities of the world were largely silent because everyone was doing all they could to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Four years ago we in the U.S. were grappling with the fallout from the January 6th insurrection, Ukrainians were thriving under peaceful conditions, there were no Israeli hostages, and Gaza was not yet a battlefield. We are in a different time now, although we carry many of the same concerns… concerns over the future of our democracy as we approach another presidential election, and concerns over the future of those in far away lands, those who long for freedom, safety, security and peace.
I am often asked the question, “How do you maintain hope?” There are three ways I maintain hope. The first way is to remind myself that our brains are wired to detect danger, differences and threats to our survival. In knowing this, we can recognize our innate tendency to latch onto the negatives that bombard us every day in news headlines, in gossip and hearsay. Researchers at Columbia have found that we recall negative information and experiences much more readily than positive ones.* In knowing our tendency to latch on to negativities, and in recognizing that it has served us well in our survival over the millenia, we can understand how we can get caught in cycles of negativity. Once we understand, we can actively work not to get caught ourselves and we can also through a lifeline to family members, neighbors and friends who are caught in a doomsday mindset, because, let’s face it…it’s a very unproductive place to be.
The second way I maintain hope is I feed it. You have probably heard that fable about how we all have two wolves within us. One is hope and one is despair and they are engaged in a continual fight for dominance. The one that wins is the one that is fed the most. I feed my hope. This week, I discovered an organization named Bittersweet.** Bittersweet is a source for stories, articles and podcasts that present a side of humanity that does not often show up in our news cycle. Here is how the folks at Bittersweet describe what they do, “We square up with the harsh realities and heavy statistics to find glimmers of solution, of fearlessness and faithfulness, of hope. Together we reject cynicism, defy apathy, and celebrate good that the world needs more of.”
On Bittersweet I read about an Israeli woman named Robi Damelin. Her two sons began their required service in the Israeli Defence Force. She recounts, “When the knock on the door happened, they didn’t have to tell me that David had been killed by a Palestinian sniper. Apparently one of the first things that I said is, ‘you may not kill anybody in the name of my child.’” And that began Robi’s journey of seeking reconciliation and advocating against the perpetuation of violence. She joined a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization called The Parents Circle. It was there that this Israeli mother met Bassam Aramin, a Palestinian father whose 10 year old daughter was killed on her way to school by a rubber bullet from an Israeli gun. The Parents Circle is a place where bereaved family members can meet across the cultural divide. For 25 years, hundreds of bereaved families ‘on both sides’ have knitted and knotted themselves together to seek reconciliation and a path of nonviolence, even through unspeakable grief.
I also read a story about Pastor Yiray in Ukraine. He had served as a minister in Kherson for 16 years and was on the verge of retirement when the Russian forces invaded. Instead of retiring, and perhaps fleeing, Pastor Yiray invested in a commercial mixer and two commercial bread ovens. Twice a month, he bakes 600 loaves of bread to give away. These are his words: “This war has taught us that all these things in our life are temporary. When you hear the sound of the missile, in your mind you’re getting closer and closer to God, because you don’t know where it will land. I want to have this feeling after the war — to be close with God all the time.”
The third way I keep hope alive is to follow Mary Magdalene’s example from our Gospel reading today. I look for God. I look for God in others, especially in those with whom I may have little in common. I look for God in the many shifting circumstances of my life. I look for God, even in times of adversity, loss, and pain. And in times of joy and ease and comfort, I try to remember to be grateful and not take those times for granted. I have found that when I look for God, I find God everywhere, especially where there is hardship, grief, and suffering. I see people helping people, like the congregation of Union Church in Maryland who responded to the bridge collapse by bringing food for the rescue workers working round the clock to search for survivors. I look for God and I find God in all the peacework that is underway in response to war. I listen for God and I hear God in the voices raised for justice, for equity, for human rights, and voting rights. I reach for God and I sense God’s holy presence when I make space in my life to be still and quiet and aware. In doing so, my hope is restored, again and again.
On this Easter morning, Friends, we are invited to contemplate what it may mean for us in our lives today if we could live with hope, if we could live like anything is possible. This morning we heard words from the prophet Isaiah that are full of hope, even though his people were facing threats of invasion from three empires: the Babylonians, the Persians, and the Assyrians. Isaiah had a message of hope: On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food. He will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the covering that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the LORD God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth. It will be said on that day, “See, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice.” Even under the threat of war, the prophet was inviting his people to live as if anything was possible.
In closing, I offer us the same invitation. Let’s live like anything is possible. Let’s not let our hope be diminished because Christ could not be held down by death. Let’s not let our hope be diminished because even those who have lost loved ones in war are demanding peace, not revenge. Let’s not let our hope be diminished because we can be instruments of kindness and encouragement in all our relationships. Let’s keep our hope alive, Friends, and live as if anything is possible. That is the message of Easter. Thanks be to God. So be it. Amen.
*https://news.columbia.edu/news/how-can-we-break-cycle-focusing-negative-experiences
**https://bittersweetmonthly.com/
Pastoral Prayer
Beloved God, we are gifted with the ability to feel so many different emotions and it can, at times, be overwhelming. Empathy for our brothers and sisters and the struggles they face can be painful to bear, Lord, and yet through this deep feeling, we become more alive, we become more humane, and we come closer to the place within where you reside. Help us to remember the life and example of Jesus Christ, that we may grow more secure in our hearts, secure in what we know to be of the greatest value in our lives. This I ask in Christ’s name. Amen.
Benediction
I leave you with these words from Philipians, chapter 4:
“May the peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Amen.