Liturgy that Matters – April 12, 2020 – Matthew 28:1-10

Themes: This Easter, we need theologies that speak honestly of death as a part of life, ridding us of dangerous ideas about death as the enemy of God. Not only does that idea further our already avoidant cultural relationships to mortality, but it also distracts us from addressing the true enemies of God. Forces of evil, destruction, and oppression use and abuse death, power, and institutions to advance its cause. All that stifles the natural rhythms of love and life through greed, violence, and neglect work against God’s will for the flourishing of the world. This is the source of our struggle. The resurrection assures that even in the devastating wake of evil’s deadening forces, all the unnecessary loss and grief we face, and our fears about the future, love will remain. Like a seed that may still be hidden underground on Easter morning in the midst of COVID-19, we nurture hope through acts of love and justice, empowered by the Spirit of Christ alive in us.