What to do?
A long time ago, we attended Hillside Christian Church. The church was between pastors, so Dr. Mike Graves gave the Easter sermon. As the preaching professor at St. Paul School of Theology, I was expecting something extraordinary, which is was, because I’m writing about it over a decade later.
He talked about how excited he was to be preaching on an Easter Sunday. He said it was like being the back-up quarterback suddenly called up for the Super Bowl. Expectations for an Easter sermon are high, and he didn’t want anyone to be disappointed. However, at the end of the day, he preached on what he always preached on….love God, love your neighbor, with an emphasis on loving your neighbor.
He talked about how the message of Easter is not different from the message of any given Sunday, even if we were all dressed better and hoping to chomp on a chocolate bunny later. The message of peace, justice, love for one another, and community was relevant on Easter, but also relevant every other day of the year. He hoped we weren’t disappointed, but as it turns out, Easter does not have a different, special message because Christianity has a consistent message throughout the year.
I think about his sermon all of the time, because it is true. Despite the last few weeks of turmoil at the national level, Jesus’ message is the same message over and over – peace, justice, love for one another, and community. It is the message of lighting a candle and eating an orange. It is the message of consuming news thoughtfully and reacting constructively. The message is never yelling into the void. These are truths now, and they were true 10+ years ago when I heard this sermon.
It feels like everything is terrible and on fire, but the correct response is what it always should be….find peace in our hearts, peace in our community, peace in our church.
Holy One,
Remind us that even though we feel like we’re living through unprecedented times, they are really unprecedented times. Throughout all times, you are with us, and our Peace community is with us. Help us when we feel on shaky ground and help us when we finally have found our equilibrium again.
Michelle is a Program Analyst with the Department of Veterans Affairs. She’s a wife, mother, sister, and friend, a chocolate and coffee lover, reader of books, listener of podcasts, and a travel enthusiast.