Open 4 Easter
One of the things you may notice on Easter Day, something that is, in fact, a lot like Christmas Day, is that there are a lot of stores with this sign in their window, CLOSED.
But what if the world were full of OPEN signs? What if the world were more full of openness and openings than we were ever prepared for?
More filled open seats, opened gifts, opened up flowers, open air parks and open parking places; just the right opening for last minute appointments, open windows with fresh breezes, grand openings, and more opening nights…
and for the students more open book tests, and the realtors- open houses, and for the techies- open source programs; and for the fishers, since I now qualify in California, open season for fishers of fish…;
What if we were able to get things out in the open more often in our relationships, more openings for forgiveness- more open hearts to receive it too ….
“Ask, and it shall be given you; Seek, and ye shall find; Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”
We long for openings, openings in dialogs and conversations, job openings advancements, opportunities opening up…
Our lives may even depend on some types of openings-
open heart surgery, open MRI’s, open pharmacy’s;
but an open tomb, an opening to life eternal, now that was not what Mary was expecting…
When Mary got up that morning, that Sunday morning about 2000 years ago, she expected that it the tomb would be CLOSED. Jesus was dead, business contracts had expired. Everyone knew it was a done deal, Mary was, in no way, expecting an open tomb.
For all of the disciples faith…, the whole situation still appeared to be an open and shut case, Jesus had been crucified, died, and buried in the closed tomb.
So, How on earth could it have OPENED up again?
She wasn’t expecting to see an open sign- an open tomb- and truthfully neither were any of the other disciples on that third day.
Jesus was dead, dead as a door nail; but those nails on the cross had failed to shut this door forever. Jesus did tell us though, “I am the door. Whoever enters by me will be saved,” (Jn 10:9)
While most door signs say CLOSED on the other side- the one we encounter on Easter says OPEN… ON BOTH SIDES,
It really is our task as a church to make sure there are as many opening as possible, to open the doors for all to come in and experience God’s forgiveness and resurrection, and then also to open the doors to go back out and share about the risen Lord with others, indeed as Mary has done.
To carry God’s open sign for our church means being open as a church to newcomers, open to disabilities, open to new cultures, open to healing our family and friend relationships, and hospitable to hearts as they to are opened by God’s grace.
Amen.
