Mission Link – April 2009

The Season of Resurrection

It’s been hard the last few weeks to believe we are in the season of spring. Major snowfalls and floods in the Red River Valley have pushed people to their limit. And yet, in Minnesota, we really do experience two springs. Spring begins muddy and messy. It can be downright ugly. The messy spring is a time for thawing the rigor mortis of winter. The life that we thought had died or gone dormant struggles to break through into a new creation. For some mysterious reason, the muck of the messy spring becomes the ground for nurturing the blooming spring.

During the major flooding in the Red River valley I heard the story of a man from Minneapolis who decided to volunteer to fill sand bags. He remarked how despite the crisis, he had never before experienced such a sense of welcome and common purpose with those who were on the verge of losing everything. He said even though he felt bad about what was being taken away by the flood he also came away with a deep gratitude for the quality of life that he experienced. The ground in which he placed sand bags had become holy ground. He said he would never forget it.

Easter is the season of resurrection appearances. It is a time for seeing how God is bringing life out of death. We hear again the stories of how the first disciples were locked in the upper room feeling lost, afraid and abandoned. When the risen Jesus entered this room of misery, he offered them two gifts: peace and forgiveness. The peace of Christ was revealed as his abiding presence and the showing of his wounds. This peace revealed and healed their wounds. Then Christ breathed his Spirit upon the disciples and sent forth as missionaries of forgiveness. The early Church drew its identity and mission from being witnesses of the resurrection. These same gifts are available to the Church today, in the Spirit, to be witnesses of faith and hope in the resurrection.