April 16, 2017

EASTER SUNDAY

The Rev. J.D. McQueen, II - All Saints’ Episcopal Church, San Diego, CA

To say that the world must have looked very different to Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John on their way back from the empty tomb would be an incredible understatement.

v Their hearts and minds must have been filled with all kinds of questions about what it meant for them and the world, and what would come next.

v Our lives are filled with things that lead us to ask those same questions, and in today’s short passage from his letter to the Colossians, Paul shows us how to look for answers in the light of the Resurrection.

God is delighted whenever we share our lives with Him in prayer, but it’s especially important when we’re troubled or trying to figure out what to do.

v We see a perfect example of why when Jesus rebukes Peter for his earthly reaction to his passion prediction, and says, “Get behind me Satan,” and calls him “a stumbling block.”

v Earthly thinking is a challenge we all face, which is why Paul tells us to set our minds on things that are above, though he’s not saying that because earthly things don’t matter.

v A better way to understand what Paul is saying is that earthly things matter so much that we need to make sure that we see them the way God sees them.

In our every moment, God is working to pour the fire of His love more deeply into our hearts and, through us, into the world, but we need for Him to tell us how to cooperate.

v Without that direction, we can act with the best of intentions, even a genuine love for Jesus, and still find ourselves moving away from Him instead of closer, just like Peter.

v Learning to totally entrust ourselves and our lives to the Father’s will is difficult, but if we practice coming to Him open hearts, He will enter them and help us.

A concrete way to do this is to begin your daily prayer time by consciously placing yourself in the presence of Jesus, sitting alongside Him and looking at your life from the same perspective.

v Then, thank Him for whatever has entered your life (even if you don’t feel thankful) and ask Him to show you what to do with it.

v Whether you’re looking at a past event, in the present moment, or something in the future, it’s amazing how different the world looks when we open ourselves up to the possibilities of God’s loving purpose.