Easter 2025 + I remember, I believe
M. Campbell-Langdell
(1 Cor 15, Luke 24)
Gospel group Sweet Honey in the Rock’s song “I
Remember, I Believe” reflects on the resilience of people of African American descent.
It begins:
“I don’t
know how my mother walked her trouble down
I don’t know how my father stood his ground
I don’t know how my people survived slavery
I do remember, that’s why I believe.”
This is a
resurrection song. It also echoes Israel’s history of coming out of slavery.
Later it says:
“I don’t know how the blood still runs
thru my veins
I don’t know how I rate to run another day
Standing in a rainstorm I believe”[1]
I remember, that’s why I believe.
Isn’t
that just like Easter? We don’t know how Jesus came back to life, but he did.
It boggles our mind. But his coming back to life fills us all with a little
more hope. We remember, and that’s why we believe.
This
week I heard that the goal of preaching is to help each other remember Jesus’
words. When we do it well, we don’t remember the preacher’s specific words but
we remember Jesus’s words and teachings and we remember why we believe.[2]
This
is because belief is a verb. We don’t just believe passively. It is an active
experience. The shock of Jesus’
resurrection reminds us that we have to actively believe. Here the women are
asked to believe when the tomb is empty.
Distinguished
theologian Anna Carter Florence says that they have to go see for themselves.[3] They
want proof. And that is not unlike us - we all have to go to the tomb in a
way. In our minds and hearts.
Can
the tomb really be empty?
Can
death really be overcome?
In
the gospel of John, Mary doesn't go to see Jesus, she simply wants to be close
to her loved one who has died.[4]
The
other day Adriana was making palm crosses. And she remembered that Dona Elisa
always wanted her to make her one. So she made one up and we went to the
columbarium. We didn’t expect her to be there in the way she was before, but we
did want to commune with her spirit in some way, to let her know that we are
thinking of her.
She is at the eternal Easter parade in heaven now, but we are stuck here and
need to connect in whatever humble way we can.
Mary
went to the tomb, or here the women, not because of bold and totally certain
faith, but because of love. Because of faithfulness to a memory to their good
and beloved rabbi.
That
is also faithfulness. That helps us remember and believe.
And
yet it goes a bit further. Somehow, our hearts must be bold. We must remember
that there is a process here, a process referred to in the reading we heard
from 1st Corinthians chapter 15. Paul reminds us that we don’t just
pin our hope on Christ for this life, that is to say to hope in Christ without
the resurrection, but rather because of the resurrection we have a true hope:
“For
since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also
come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive
in Christ. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his
coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he hands over the
kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every
authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under
his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
The
last enemy to be destroyed is death. This reminds us that, even though we
suffer now, we must not despair.
Sweet
Honey in the Rock say in their song: “I don’t know how the angels woke me up
this morning” and we don’t. Each day is a minor miracle. We are reminded of
this when the opposite happens; when there are shootings or random sad losses. Just
this week there was a memorial at St John’s hospital for an awesome guy who
worked in the ER for years. He just died suddenly working under his house. We
don’t know why. At least I don’t. But he went to be with God. Maybe not a whole
lot easier for his family, because death still stings.
But we remember and we believe, that the last enemy to be destroyed will be
death. We rejoice today not just because Christ is risen. No not just for that.
We rejoice today because we will be raised, too.
We
count on that!
As
the Ancient Easter sermon from St Maximus of Turin says, “Let no one, conscious
of his sinfulness, withdraw from our common celebration, nor let anyone be kept
away from our public prayer by the burden of his guilt. Sinner he may indeed
be, but he must not despair of pardon on this day which is so highly
privileged; for if a thief could receive the grace of paradise, how could a
Christian be refused forgiveness?”
We trust and hope in that divine redemption.
We
remember and we believe, because a better day is coming.
And until then, we celebrate the minor miracles of waking up each day, of
surviving so many human tragedies and of being able to rejoice together in
community.
Why
did the angels wake you up this morning? Was it to mourn at an empty tomb? Or
was it to remember, and to believe?
I
remember, I believe!
Amen.
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