100 Years

By The Rev. Susan Russell, All Saints, West Newbury.

Did you catch the celebration on Friday, April 20, of the 100^th anniversary of Fenway Park?  It was quite an event.  To begin, a door opened in the Green Monster and onto the field came former Red Sox players from about 80 of those 100 years.  They just kept coming, a great wave of outfielders and pitchers and 2^nd basemen, all wearing their own numbers on their jerseys, and moving to the part of the field where they had once played game after game in that uniform, standing there with their comrades.  Bobby Doerr and Johnny Pesky, now both in their 90s, were escorted onto the field, and Johnny, a native of Salem, wiped his eyes with his handkerchief for the entire presentation.  The crowd cheered a lot of them, the ones they recognized, and the only other sound as they came and kept on coming, was the music of the sound track of Field of Dreams.  “If you build it they will come.”  Yes, indeed.

I was reminded of what happened after the Sox won the World Series in 2004, that when they were interviewed in the locker room, after the champagne showers and all the revelry, every one of them mentioned the guys who had come before, who never got to see that day when the curse was finally broken and Boston was victorious.  Every one of those current players paid respects to the ones who worked so hard for it but never saw the day.  And that week a lot of fans bought those championship pennants and took them out and planted them on the graves of parents and grandparents who loyally followed the team and taught their kids to love the game, but never got to see the win.  My brother was among them.

It is such a good thing to remember those who came before us, to be mindful of what so many contributed to make the present day what it is for us.  We are not self-made, much as we might like to think so.  We build on top of the work of others.  Without their ideas and their development of them, without their foresight and careful planning, without the work of their hands, we would always be starting over again at the beginning.

It felt great to celebrate the players of 100 (well, 80) years of Bosox baseball.  We should think about those who have come before us in this life in all kinds of ways, and celebrate with gratitude the many ways they have enriched our lives and made them more enjoyable. 

In this way we celebrate the Communion of Saints.

Alleluia, Christ is risen!

Susan+

A Titanic New Life

 A number of years ago I picked up a bright hand-painted crucifix from Central America with a colorful Jesus painted on it, hands upraised. As I was packing up some Christmas gifts to send to my non-believing brother that year, on a whim, I tossed the cross into the box. A few weeks later my brother called to thank me for the gifts. He also noted, “Thanks for the picture of the dead guy.” The crucifix was foolishness to him so he was yanking my chain.

How many people look to the crucifixion and wonder what on earth Christians think they are doing to worship a “dead guy?” Because, of course, the story of Easter is that Jesus has risen from the dead. The story doesn’t end at the cross. The resurrection tells us we worship a living God, and not just any living God, but one that is stronger than death. A God who invites us to join into this resurrection life.

“For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” [1 Cor 18]

The piece we often miss, however, is that we have to go through the cross to get to resurrection. We need to die in order to live. We have to be willing to let go of safety and “that’s the way it’s always been” and boundaries that hold us back. We have to die to our old selves, our old life, in order to live in new ways.

On this 100^th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic (April 15, 1912), my husband and I took my 14 year old to see the newly released 3D version of the movie. There is a lot one can say about this powerful film, but I want to focus on the choices made by one of the main characters, Rose. The voyage was a transformative experience for her in some profound ways, to the point that at the end of the movie she chooses to leave the promise of wealth, prestige, a husband, and more. She lets all that die, in order to embrace the life that she was created to live. In fact, the only way she can really live, and not suffocate under the expectations of someone of her gender and class, is to let her safety nets go. Her relationship with Jack and then the sinking of the Titanic gives her both the strength and the opportunity to do this. She is resurrected into a new life.

Choosing death can seem a foolish thing, but not if that is the only way for transformation to happen. Jesus knew this, so chose the path of non-violence and death in the face of violence and empire. He would not collude with evil. Then with his resurrection on Easter morning Jesus transformed both himself and all creation. If he, a mortal, could overcome death, so too now can we all. And this new life doesn’t have to wait until our physical death, our new life begins when we choose to follow Jesus and live life as he modeled for us, and when we accept that we are loved unconditionally by a glorious God.

Stephanie+

Alleluia!!

     A clergy magazine once published a cartoon of a minister greeting people after a worship service. The sign in front of the church said, "Easter Sunday Service." While shaking hands with the pastor, a man said, "Preacher, you're in a rut. Every time I come to this church, you preach on the same subject."    Now that is not necessarily a bad thing.  Because it is on the resurrection story that the good news is built.  It is the foundation of our hope. 

       In the Gospel of Mark -  as it is believed to have originally been written - there is no gardener, no traveler joining two of Jesus’ followers on the road to Emmaus, no foot race to the empty tomb or encounters with Jesus in a locked room.  There is just this:  “He is no longer here.  Go and tell his disciples that Jesus will meet them in Galilee” and then the three women go running from the tomb in terror and amazement. 
      That young man in the white robe had a message for those who come to the empty tomb – a message for us here this Easter as we listen for the news of the resurrection… “Go to Galilee,” he says – there you will meet Jesus.   
      You who are called to follow Jesus’ Way – you go back home.  Go to the place where life is lived simply and fully.  Go to your work of carpentry, fishing and farming.  Get out of that idea that God has any interest grand cathedrals or church hierarchy and into the idea that nothing – no principality, no rule, no adversity can separate us from God’s love as it has been revealed to us in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Go to Galilee to meet the Risen Jesus.   It is in the midst of our very ordinary and common lives that the Mystery of God’s unchangeable love is revealed.   If you’re looking for Easter – if you are looking for resurrection, start where you are, in your common, day-to-day life. Start by noticing the faces of folks who mean the most to you. Start by looking and really seeing what you look at every day but don’t really see.   
      When I was little I lived in a small village in northeast Louisiana.  My mother kept 5 acres of flowers.  There was something blooming every day of the year.  But here is the thing.  It was not the flowering crab or the bearded iris that made the place beautiful – it was the masses of flowers and trees and bushes in all of the shapes and colors and sizes you can imagine.  God’s Kingdom is like that it is in the myriad of life’s gifts that God can be found. 
      But, we do not go to Galilee just to receive.  We go to Galilee to give also.  We go to show our love for God in all that we do and say.  We go to Galilee and that is where we live out our promises that we made at our baptism, to pray, to read scripture, to worship, to turn from evil and to turn to God, to love our neighbor, to seek justice, to respect the dignity of all, and to proclaim the Good News of God’s salvation.
      The Gospel of Mark does not give the clear command that we hear in Matthew of John.  Instead it sort of leaves it up to us to figure out what to do with this empty tomb – how to make the resurrection live in our lives.  But one thing is clear.  Jesus is going before us showing us the way. 
                Alleluia Christ is risen.  Happy Easter,   Jane+

The Lord is risen indeed.  Alleluia.