Sunday, April 4, 2021 – The Resurrection of the Lord
The lectionary passages are:
– First Reading: Acts 10:34-43 or Isaiah 25:6-9
– Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
– Second Reading: I Corinthians 15:1-11 or Acts 10:34-43
– Gospel Reading: John 20:1-18 or Mark 16:1-8
The liturgical color for the day is: White
The great privilege of standing in the pulpit is that the preacher gets to tell THE story of the resurrection of the Lord. As I think about doing that during this pandemic, I recall the story of a dear friend of mine who grew up in New Jersey. As a little girl, her daddy took her to the shore for an Easter day egg hunt.
The parents were required to stay on the boardwalk while the children descended onto the beach to hunt for eggs. She was dressed in her Easter finery and toted her beach shovel and bucket that doubled as an Easter basket. Off she went to hunt for the eggs. It required some digging in the sand to find the eggs.
That little dear worked her way in the sand and kept uncovering lidded Dixie cups. Deep in concentration she focused on her search for eggs. She was there to hunt eggs not cups. Her focus was so intense that she could not hear her daddy shouting from the boardwalk, “The egg is in the cup.” She kept bypassing those eggs and discarding them without even knowing.
In a world so focused on the struggle of all we are going through—and we are going through much: pandemic, cultural shift, deep struggle, incredible loss, trust and mistrust, and so much more. In that world we become that urging parent on the shore imploring and inviting the great truth: “The egg is in the cup.”
For those both outside and inside the church, for all of us, the preacher’s task is to reveal again the great truth that ordinarily seems hidden. The great truth that Christ is risen. Risen indeed. That God’s victorious love continues to reach all the way out and all the way down and claim life out death and open us to a sure and everlasting life and hope.
—
Rev. Dr. Daris Bultena
General Presbyter and Stated Clerk