On Holy Saturday I am sitting at my desk at home praying, contemplating, imagining. The pondering is almost overwhelming as I consider all the implications that tomorrow brings. The defeat of death. New life. Newborn hope. An opportunity to begin again. As one who knows the story, it all awaits me, beckoning me to step forward out of tombs of my own making.
It occurs to me that we as United Methodists tend to live in tombs of our own making. We dwell in the self-induced angst of the myth that says we are a dying Church. We stumble in the graveyard of our ideological convictions, placing them above community, above relationships, above even the Gospel we claim to follow. We wallow in the darkness of our own narrow preferences, unable to see a larger vision. And friends, we remain in these tombs because in truth, we do not really believe...or more to the point...trust in this Resurrection thing.
We speak of it, of course. We poke at it like medieval children provoking the bear tied to a pole in the public square. God forbid it should get loose. We accept it, more or less, as an arid and brittle article of doctrine. We argue about it, write papers, preach sermons, and show up in our Churches on Easter morning only to leave essentially unaffected by the power that surges just beyond our comprehension.
I know. This sounds harsh. But in the nearly thirty years I have served in this United Methodist community, I have observed this and feel compelled to name it. We are not actually a Resurrection People. If we were, both we and the world we inhabit would be much different. The time has come, however, for this to change. On this Easter let us receive the power of the Resurrection anew.
Let us claim the Resurrection, not as an article of religion, but as a way of life.
I am reminded about the old Gospel tune with the lyrics that go like this. "Everybody wants to go to heaven. Nobody wants to die." If we are honest, we do not wish to let go of our own egos and our hard won sense of self. And yet the Gospel call is to "die to ourselves (Luke 9:23, Philippians 3:8, John 12:24, Romans 12:1-2)," and to live into new life in Christ. It's time, today, for us to release all the "stuff" we are holding onto that keeps us from embracing the power of the Resurrection. It's time, today, walk out of the "Church of what we want..." and begin to build the Resurrection Community once again.
And sisters and brothers, the Good News is that this is actually happening! The Resurrection of the Body of Christ is taking place even as my fingers dash across the keyboard of my computer. I am here to witness today to the fact that a new day is emerging and revival is bursting forth.
I know that I will be in one of our Bridges District Churches tomorrow morning shouting, "Christ is Risen," and with his Body....the Church... too will rise.
Let me share just one story about such Resurrection power.
Elmhurst United Methodist Church in East Oakland could be said to be a dying Church. It's in a tough neighborhood and it doesn't have very many members. The building has seen better days and the means to repair the structure really are not there. We could look at that, shake our heads and walk away. Or we could step in and look a bit more closely.
The truth is that this is a mighty Church. As a DS I strive to get into every one of my ninety-two Churches and visiting Elmhurst was part of this commitment. I remember pulling into the parking lot and catching my breath as I surveyed the buildings. But then I got out of the car and I met Jason Eckles. We shook hands and exchanged the niceties one would expect. And then I began to listen to his passion and his vision.
East Oakland is what we call a "food desert." There are no grocery stores anywhere near this neighborhood. There are few ways for residents to gain access to healthy food and it's not a situation that exists just in this neighborhood. This is the case in many urban settings. But Jason didn't just see things as they were in the moment. He had a vision of how things could be different. He has a vision of community reborn and people working together.
At the core of this vision is the creation of a community garden on the Church property. This garden wouldn't just feed members of his Church. This garden would be a place where the people of the community could come to work, to share and to receive the benefits of fresh food and fresh relationships.
At the risk of being a little too Wesleyan perhaps, I felt my heart strangely warmed as I listened to Jason share his vision with a light in his eyes. Thirty minutes with this guy and I was hooked. This Church wasn't dying! God had called this Church to Resurrection Life right here in East Oakland. So Jason and I spent the next couple of hours praying, sharing and dreaming.
And together we came up with the idea of holding a "Random Act of Resurrection." We put out the word to the whole Bridges District, inviting folks to come on the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend to "Labor together in the Vineyard" to build enough raised beds for this garden to get off the ground.
Word went out through email, through the District Office, through Word of mouth and more.
We even asked them to bring their own tools and some supplies.
On that Saturday we had no idea really how many people would come. But as we sipped our coffee we saw car after car after car pull into the driveway.
At the end of the day seventy people came, some from as far as 100 miles away, and build 23 raised beds for this new community garden. It is a sight I will never forget. African Americans, Latinos, Pacific Islanders, Chinese, Korean, Euro-Americans all coming together in laughter and community to be the Body of Christ, alive and full of power.
This kind of event is a Resurrection Act. It is staring right into the face of what seems like death and leaning into life together. It is real. It is powerful. And I am convicted that God is calling us to live out these Resurrection acts all over our District. Be mindful, though. This was a wonderful Church before we all arrived to build raised beds. Pastor Carol Estes leads a wonderful community in this place. Their worship is full of hope and wonder, and that choir? Wow! All we did was join the party as members of one Holy Spirit Community.
All this leads me to utter a call to all of us to commit random acts of Resurrection. What's going on in your community? In your Church? In your life? Where can you gaze into what seems like the face of death and dare to live out the Resurrection hope? Remember on this Easter Sunday that the victory is already won for us in what has happened this day. All we have to do is live into it with all our passion and joy.
Indeed on July 11th we will be doing this again at the Bayside Cambodian Fellowship in Alameda. Plan to spend the day as we paint, repair and join our sisters and brothers in this New Church Start who have given their lives in hope! Watch this blog and the Bridges District Facebook Page for details.
Friends, In the hopes of spreading the Resurrection power we participated in at Elmhurst UMC, we have made this a centerpiece of our ministry in the Bridges District. We are indeed a people of the Resurrection! We are holding "Resurrection Conversations" throughout our area in an effort to shift our discourse from death to new life. Instead of watching our communities decline like someone watches the air go out of a tire with a slow hiss, we want to insist on the Resurrection. In our own spiritual practices, in our families and our relationships, and yes in our United Methodist Churches! So we are gathering to ask the questions that lead, not to death, but to life.
Christ is Rien!
As of today, let cynicism die and let hope be born. As of today let the negative energy that binds us fall away and give birth to an unreasonable optimism. As of today, let us embrace the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that is coming to each person and each church as we step together into revival, into the Resurrection Life.
Wishing you a blessed Easter, and looking forward to an ever growing number of Random Acts of Resurrection across the Bridges District!
DS Schuyler
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