Hard and Holy: Easter 2022

Luke 24:21: “We had hoped …” When I was thinking about what I wanted today to look like, there was so much “I had hoped”. It’s been such a hard year for so many. These two disciples in this story had hoped Jesus was the one who was going to redeem Israel, but he had been killed and buried. They didn’t even know the resurrected Jesus was walking with them. I am sure their grief and disappointment was overwhelming. But the resurrection is the difference between burying and planting. As Jesus was buried and raised to life, so then what we bury now has the ability to grow into something altogether new. The seeds we plant in our gardens, in our children’s hearts, in our marriages, in our faith- now new life has the ability to take root and spring up because of the resurrection. So all the hopes unrealized from last year, as we bury them and move forward, let them instead be planted and bring something new and something beautiful. Today wasn’t what I expected, but it was beautiful and meaningful. It wasn’t the shiny resurrection story or the color-coordinated family photo op (which I love but oddly did not miss). It was continuing down the road to Emmaus, navigating grief and confusion and disappointment and doubt with our friends, and just maybe Jesus has been walking beside us the entire time.