Gifted with Grace

This Easter morning, walking to church, we are drawn by the uplifting peal of the belfry bells in Chalfont St Giles Parish Church. The church is at the heart of the village, where it has been the center of worship for over 800 years. And it is a marvel (and consolation) to kneel and receive Eucharist (the bread and wine) in a place where people have celebrated communion for hundreds of years. And on this Easter day, a church filled with people of all ages, including many families with young children. It does the heart good.
The reading this morning from John’s Gospel.
Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

And Jesus said, “There’s no need for so many tears.”  …No.
And Jesus said, “We can figure this out.”  …No.
And Jesus said, “What is your problem?”  …No.
And Jesus said, “You can handle this.”  …No.
“And Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’
“Mary.” One word. Meaning, I see you.
I see in you. And I honor in your tears the gift of enough.
And on this Easter morning, I let my tears fall.
The power of hearing my own name, and knowing that I am seen. And loved.
But it’s even bigger than that. It is knowing—at your core—that grace wins. Grace wins even in the uncertainty, even in the heartbreaking, even in the challenging, and even in the noise.
(And yes, in my mind, I’m sitting on my Grandmother’s porch swing…)

Here’s what hit me this morning: this is the power of resurrection. In that one word—in being seen—there is power in the gift of enough.
The promise that death is not the final word.
Fear is not the final word.
Shame is not the final word.
Cruelty and hatred are not the final word.
Mercilessness is not the final word.
In the power of the resurrection, we are grounded by the affirmation of the inherent dignity in every single human being. No exceptions. “I see you. You matter.”
So. Here’s my prayer: I hope there is a place where you hear your name spoken… where you are seen, and honored, and gifted with grace.
And I hope you hear (embrace the affirmation) that it is from this place, that we are fueled to make choices to show up. To be messengers of hope, courage, resilience and inspiration.

I had an interesting exchange this week with a reader, after I posted something about the dignity of immigrants. The person wrote, “I assumed you were neutral.”
Neutral. Another way of saying, I’m “not taking sides”. Meaning it is easier to be disengaged. And I thought of this passage in the Matthew’s Gospel.
When Jesus welcomes us to the Kingdom of eternity, saying, “Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom.” We will wonder why, and he will say, “For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
I was naked and you gave me clothing,
I was sick and you took care of me,
I was in prison and you visited me.”
Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?  And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?  And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?”
And the king will answer them, “I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to the least of these, to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.” (Matthew 25: 35 – 40, NIV and The Message)

Bottom line: Yes, this is taking sides.
I’m not saying head in the sand—and fingers in our ears—is not very tempting.
Which takes us back to this morning’s Gospel story about Mary.
You see, now, with the power of the resurrection, we are fueled to make a difference, sowing seeds to grow hope and courage, mercy and justice, and peacemaking.
Easy? No. But I know this from personal experience: if I don’t internalize (take to heart) the invitation to be a messenger of hope, courage, resilience and inspiration, I will live my life playing small (yes, a way of being disengaged), underestimating my capacity to make a difference, even with what I consider a small portion.
But what if we feel we are insignificant? Well, whatever the amount, it is enough. Enough for empathy and compassion.
Enough for caring for the marginalized and brokenhearted among us.
Enough to offer tenderness, grace and healing and sanctuary to a fallen world.
Yes, just the right amount to make the world a better place and invite our better angels. And from the bottom of my heart I am so very grateful for those “fed me” at times in my life when I felt marginalized and brokenhearted. Onward together my friends.

I write this in the village of Burford, in the Cotwolds in England. My garden inspiration destination. And travel is a good metaphor, and workout space, to remind us how we are connected even in such a large and diverse world. Moments of kindness and grace. And a good way to nourish the soul in wonder and beauty and awe.

Quote for our week… “Build longer tables, not higher walls.” José Andrés

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Today’s Photo Credit: Easter morning, Chalfont St Giles Parish Church, Chalfont St Giles, England… And thank you to all, I love your photos… please, keep sending them… send to terryhershey.com 

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Letters that do my heart good…
–Loved today’s musical selection! It really focused me “on the moment”. Thank you… and safe journeys. Delmar
–Terry, having lost a 22 month old son to a drinking driver many years ago and oldest grandson to fentanyl in 2017, I would cherish 5 more minutes! Thank you for that posting. Life is short , even at my 81 year span so far, and we all need to cherish every minute with those we love. Keep helping me walk home. Lynn
–Amen Terry.  What a meaningful reflection for this Easter weekend.  Peace for all of us. Thanks, Terry for your inspiration each day. Easter blessings.  Donna
–Terry, Congratulations on the anniversary of your ordination! You make the world a better place. Nancy
–Terry, Thanks so much for sharing the wonderful photo from your trip. So glad you have this time in such a lovely area! Ongoing thanks for the uplift you give us each morning, Anne
–I’d give anything for more time with my son Tom who died in 2014. I did give him a hug and told him I loved him the last time I saw him which gives me so much comfort. Now I make a point of hugging family members when we’re saying good bye. And sometimes I hug them when they get to my house as well. Terry