Easter Sunday: Go!

Jesus said to her, "Mary ... Go ... and tell ..."  See John 20:17


Easter Sunday:  Go!
April 16, 2017

Just one week ago, in our Palm Sunday Gospel reading, Jesus gave the disciples a task:  Go ... find ... bring.  This morning in our Easter Gospel reading, Jesus appears to Mary and gives her a task:  Go ... tell.   I find that fascinating, and so my word for Easter is Go because "going" is the first step in every new beginning! 

So often we stay in our churches and expect people to come to us but Jesus uses the word, "go" and expects us to go to them ... whoever "us and them" are.  I don't want to get caught up in the "us and them" thinking we so often do because that obscures the message of THIS day.  This "Go" theme is echoed so much throughout the Gospel that that one might think our mission might begin after we leave church.  Our mission just might be to "go and tell" others about Jesus, not necessarily in words.  Yeah, obnoxious is not the only way to tell people about Jesus!   I'm thinking modeling kindness, serving generously and loving friendship with diverse people are some wonderful ways to tell people about Jesus, the way we talk and the way we live our lives tells more about Jesus than any words we might speak.   St Francis said, "Preach always.  Use words if you have to." 

Christ the Lord is Risen TODAY!  We don't need to wait to "Go and tell!"  We can start today by treating people as human beings and praying that Christ is seen within our being and through our actions rather than only heard with our words.  I don't know, I think words are cheap.   Jesus said that if become disciples and follow him, it will be our love that identifies us as Christians.  Alleluia!  Amen!  May it be so!

Breath Prayer:
Breathing in ... Sending God
Breathing out ... speak to me
Breathing in ... Sending Christ
Breathing out ... fill me with love
Breathing in ... Sending Spirit
Breathing out ... clear my path
Breathing in ... Holy Trinity
Breathing out ...  send me to the world

Alleluia!  Amen!







To view the "Holy Week Journey to the Threshold that is Holy Saturday" leading up to this, take this LINK 

Easter Sunday: Christ the Lord is Risen!

Read John 20:11-18 (NET)

But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she bent down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus’ body had been lying, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” Mary replied, “They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have put 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? Who are you looking for?” Because she thought he was the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni” (which means Teacher). Jesus replied, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene came and informed the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what Jesus had said to her.

By Rembrandt van Rijn (1606, Leiden – 1669, Amsterdam) (awaisaftab.blogspot.com : Home : Info : Pic) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Using art as a pathway to God, gaze upon the image above and engage in Visio Divina with it. 

Visio divina (sacred seeing) is a companion discipline of lectio divina (sacred reading)

Read the Image ... Allow your eyes to seek softly what you are attracted to in the image.  Simply receive the gift of seeing.  What image within the image is drawing you in ... Allow yourself a few moments simply to sit with this gift.

Receive the Image ... Take a deep breath and gaze with soft eyes and a receptive spirit.  After receiving, close your eyes and reflect by allowing your imagination to form that image in your consciousness ... what are you receiving from God through the image?  How does this illuminate your life right now?

Respond to God ... Now take a deep breath and gaze with soft eyes and a grateful spirit.  How do you sense yourself desiring to respond to God through the image you have received?  What would you say to God about what you are hearing, seeing, feeling?  Allow yourself to pray with gratitude ...

Rest in God ... Now take a deep breath and rest ... notice how your body feels.  Is there something more here?  Then go back and repeat your "gazing" prayer.   If you feel that you have received all you need in this moment, simply rest in the silence and come to a place of shalom, peace, wholeness ... 

Amen.   Praise God!   Hallelujah!