 Sunday: Victory of Life
And the angel said to the women, "Fear not, for I know that you seek Jesus,
who was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see
the place where the Lord lay."
Matthew 28:5-6
When Jesus rose from the grave He completed a mission to provide salvation
to a world filled with sin and death. God had never made a secret about this
mission. He had provided the model for reconciliation through the law, and
everything that Jesus did had been prophesied centuries earlier. The place
of His birth was foretold, His ancestry was predicted, His ministry was
described, and His death and resurrection were planned. Jesus came to provide
the final, perfect atonement, and that is exactly what He did.
Jesus had not tried to keep His mission a secret, either. He responded to
John the Baptist by recounting the ministry that He was spreading. He told
His disciples that He would have to suffer. He even told them that He would
be crucified. He said that He would rise again.
Even with the benefit of prophecies, scriptures, and personal contact with
Jesus, though, His followers could not comprehend what was happening. The
idea that God incarnate had lived and walked on earth was impossible to
understand, especially now that Jesus had been executed. Death on the cross
seemed so final. The shock and terror of that event had overwhelmed them
to the point that any understanding that they might have had about the
resurrection had been replaced with anguish and fear.
The women at the tomb did not expect the resurrection. Neither did the disciples.
The Lord appeared to travelers on the road to Emmaus and walked with them.
They were so fixated on the crucifixion that they could not recognize the
risen Savior. Thomas would not believe the other disciple's account of Christ's
return. He had to experience it for himself.
In the face of fear and confusion among His friends and followers, Jesus
used a familiar, loving voice to help Mary recognize Him. When He appeared
to His disciples, He said, "Peace." At the tomb He left His angels as messengers
to announce the resurrection concisely but gently. The nightmare of death
was over. The victory of life was proclaimed.
Our journey into the labyrinth is complete. We have considered many scriptures
and lessons along the path. We have prayed and meditated so that we can be
prepared to experience God in a new and special way. But we are mere disciples,
too. Just as the disciples failed to comprehend the resurrection on that
first Easter morning, we are limited in our ability to understand God's work
in the world today. Here, in the center of the labyrinth, at the foot of
the cross, listen for Jesus' familiar, loving voice. Know that His desire
for you is peace. Accept the message of Easter. Death has died. Life is
victorious.
God of life, I praise you. You have conquered death and given me hope
of new life with you. I have journeyed to commune with you and to live in
you. Speak to me. Tell me of your love. Give to me your peace. In your gentle
kindness, give me the deep assurance that eternal life is mine. Death has
died. Life is victorious. You are victorious. And I am in you. In the name
of your glorious, risen Son, my Lord and my Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
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