Longing for Light

It is now two days after Easter.  I was inclined to begin this post immediately after morning worship at church, but something stopped me. I had enjoyed the celebrative verbal and Facebook posts by many who ventured “He is risen” and my natural response, “He is risen indeed” and the bright Easter morning sunshine, and the drive to church (yes drive) to sing on-site in our sanctuary behind our masks with a few others as we mimicked morning worship ‘congregational singing' coronavirus style. It was fun; a bright morning including our pastor’s sermon based on John 20:1-18 – good lectionary-based Easter text alongside some helpful interpretive scriptures. It was solid teaching for those of us who need that diet. It was a good morning.

So why not type away and get at it?  This morning I think I finally get why it needed a little time.  Even with the celebrative trimmings of day before yesterday, there is still a longing. The longing is not at all a denial of the miracle of the empty tomb resurrection Sunday. No, the longing is an honest admittance of ... that tune which has been my earworm yesterday and today!  “Longing for Light” even smack on the heels of that sunny Sunday.  After checking with my wife, the resident go-to musician in our house, she names the song in my ear and promptly sings me a verse or two.  Ah yes, thank you honey, now I can blog.

The longing is exactly as presented in Sing the Journey, number 54 (HWB: Supplement 1).  There it is, a beautiful testimony of transparency; honestly longing among some brooding thoughts, not quite confident, perhaps lacking hope (vs 2), some concerns alongside. Oh yes, longing. The Easter season actually can make us vulnerable to disappointment. In my mind it is the most significant holiday of the year. Ironically for me it became even more so during those 'latter day trucking years' just before my retirement. And not only because there was always a possibility of not making it home for Easter (long trips all over Canada and U.S.), but because my faith became more real to me during those trucking years than it had been during the 20 plus prior years of pastoring! It was indeed my living faith that made this trucker want to get home!    

Seasonal regularity can provide a dullness to preachers and worship ‘professionals’ which may rob especially the special seasons of the freshness which is life-giving, inspiring!  My personal mental yen for perfection at times robbed me of the joy and the actual experience of the very topic I was talking about – faith, exciting faith especially on those occasions! Needless to say a pastor’s family are often the first to observe the unfaith or the drag especially from the one trying to be excited on the whole church's behalf. Obligation definitely has a way of making a mess of spontaneity. 😏 Imagine my joy to experience a fresh new living faith among truckers and traffic on the highways and byways.  So with an enlivened faith – even more important to get home for Easter! In a new way the preacher (trucker) needed to be with the assembled ones.  And also in a new way the familiar scripture, Hebrews 10:25 has become extra meaningful for me, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.

So back to Easter 2021.  I think it is all of this which contributes to my bit of emotional tenderness especially on an Easter weekend.  I've been around the block a few times (2 million miles actually 😇). When I show up in church I need not splendiferous sermons, exhilarating choirs, or whatever, and it must be freely experientially preached.  If not, I can tell!  On Easter Sunday it is so good to be able to experience our risen Lord, knowing it has new meaning each year.  

Resurrection after all is a surprise, and sometimes it may take a few days to sink in. Longing for light … perfect for Easter Sunday this year! I like also the Refrain:

Christ be our light! Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness.  Christ be our light! Shine in your church gathered today.

Christ is Risen!  He is risen indeed! Yes, to the assembled ones, and now I also comprehend more fully why it is always so difficult for my wife - even with masks and social distancing - to quit visiting with all her friends after church.

Addendum four days later: [Yes my posts are never quite finished - apparently quite characteristic of this nesheah. Always something more to think about as noted in a number of previous posts. 😔]    

Reading my good old Bible, John 20:24ff, Jesus appears to the disciples including Thomas, not necessarily a doubter but one who has some unique needs to have the resurrection make sense to him.  Jesus does not give him a separate tutoring lesson to explain his resurrected appearance.  Nope, he just gives it a little more time. Jesus allows a whole week to elapse (:26) and this time Thomas gets the satisfaction of 'touch and see' while they are all assembled. Here is yet another illustration of the importance of experiencing resurrection together with others, the assembled ones.