"Why do you look for the living among the dead?"

"Why do you look for the living among the dead?"....

I recently read an article about our Easter message. I would like to share with you a thought from the article that reflects on Luke's Gospel. "Easter is what breaks that feverish human cycle of searching for life in things that are dead." (say it a few times to yourself). What an amazing statement! Easter is our time to ask ourselves what are we trying to resurrect in our human lives that is clearly dead and why do we continue to push the envelope and try to make it come alive instead of believing In God's great plan.

Our lives are full of dead things living in our midst. When they are dead, (material items, plants, cars, wardrobe, etc... that is we throw them away. Seemingly we don't mind. We have no use for things that are no longer useful or broken. Society tells us we should live clutter free.....Yet, many times we actually do not do this for a variety of reasons. Why do we continue to look for life in things that have no life in them?? Hmmm. It is indeed the question of all questions to ask this Easter season. I have often posed a similar question to my friends, but mostly I continue to ask myself, when necessary, "why do we keep trying to force two puzzle pieces together that do not fit?". Move on and find the piece that works. The piece intended to fit. The way God intends it to be for us.
Do we do this because we are afraid of loss? Need an immediate answer? Don't want to keep waiting? Do we do it out of fear of what God really has planned for us? Fear of the unknown? We tend to cling to our human faults and needs that keep us living with dead searching for the life we want...but really, can ignoring this message bring us the life we look for? Can worn out friendships, behavior, or abuse bring the life we seek in the Easter message? How about making or needing more money? The bigger home? Needing the things in life to keep up with our neighbors?
What transformation through the resurrection are we looking for if we are unable to view the resurrection for what it is? This is the beauty and simplicity of this 2000 year old message we cannot forget. We cannot be transformed through old tiresome ways. Our ways. Jesus was here to live and die for us to teach us a new way of faith and belief. And it wasn't easy. It still isn't.

This week at Emmanuel Day School we performed a Passion Play. My students are always very prepared for Holy Week and the Easter season. This year was not an exception, only in the sense that I recently chatted with an acquaintance who asked me about how much children at the preschool level could understand about Holy Week. I knew that they knew much about what happened..they had the "facts". But did they get the message? Well. my transformation began to happen on Thursday of this week. I awoke in the morning with the thought of needing to re-enact Jesus' final days. I knew the kids would love it- and perhaps take something away to remember and contemplate as the weekend continued... maybe forever.
At our Morning Meeting I told the children this is how we would spend the better part of our morning. Did they want to? "YES!!!" was the overwhelming response...I will not tell you about casting roles and set designs but I will leave you with my transforming moment(s)....
The first one...not one child readily wanted to play Jesus! Not one. "Jesus...you know, the star of the play????", My response!!! (Most 4 and 5 year old want to be the lead character of any production.) I was astounded. We all sat there. And I thought "Hmmm.... Who really wants to be Jesus is right?" That made me know, they knew the story thoroughly. Then a tiny hand raised above the crowd. A small in stature Pre-K'r stood up, "Michael". He said, "Miss Dawn, I will." It was moving and brave. The rest of the parts cast themselves almost instantly. What 5 year old boy wouldn't want to be a roman soldier? What girl wouldn't want to be the mother of Jesus? (I have to say our girl Pontius Pilot was a surprise and welcoming!) But...nontheless..no one wanted to be Jesus. This is when I felt the betrayal and abandonment by us all.

As the play progressed, (costumed and sets hurriedly put together), I was chilled at Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Palms waving and villagers praising him. Only to be led to my second most pivotal moment of this week...the abandonment and the denial by his friends. This message hit home especially with me this Easter season. I felt Jesus' abandonment so strongly this week. I know the children were sensing the sadness as we began approaching each scene leading to the cruxifiction. First, Judas,then Peter's denial...then the rest of them hiding out in fear until after it was over. Only the woman remained by his side. Such desertion. To think you were facing your final hours and you couldn't even count on the very people you just spent the last 3 years living the Good News with. Faced with death and not a painless one. This poor man.
Jesus' hour came... (I think real tears were shed at the cross in our school)...and then it came... the transformation. Even though Jesus could have easily thought his friends were among the dead themselves, he knew that through his resurrection that they would be changed forever. Oh, it was like having read a great book that was made into a movie and your were excited about the ending. The children could not wait for Sunday morning. The angel was in the tomb and Mary Magdalene running down the path at dawn. The elation to find Jesus stunning and shining before her eyes. All of our eyes! The Living God was present right there among us! Jesus tells Mary to gather the hiding disciples to meet with him...

Well we know the rest of the story...Jesus meets with his friends and they are transformed to change their ways. Be courageous...tell the story of hope and renewal. They are met with a conversation that takes place between Jesus and Thomas, (our doubter), about believing. Well- Thomas isn't present during the first appearance. He does not believe that Jesus' transformation, overcoming death to life, is possible... he was "absent from school" that day. He still wants to find the dead among the living. I wonder about the students who were absent on Maundy Thursday- the day of the play. Like Thomas, I wonder if their absence (for whatever reason), is causing them to doubt and not be able to detect what is living among the dead...who will need to see to believe? As a teacher I am sorry for those who didn't make roll call that day...just as Thomas did not make his role call to say "Here!" Fortunately, Jesus gives us new and transformed life each time we receive his sacrament, or pray as a group in his presence. Every Sunday is Easter is what I tell the children. My thought and Easter message was, "What happens when we are absent?" Not choosing to be a part of Jesus' transformation?
What happens is simple. We continue to look for the dead instead of what is living? We continue to live our way, instead of God's way. Yes, it was not easy. No, not one one of us would want to play the role of Jesus...but fortunately, we do not have to! Jesus has gone ahead and done that for us! Stop looking for the dead among the living...and embrace the Easter message! Believe... Remember it only took Jesus 3 days...it is never too late!
Happy Easter,
Miss Dawn