“Jesus said
to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned, and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means
Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Do not
hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the father...’” --
John 20:16-17
Dear members and friends of Atonement,
It’s
a moment that takes your breath away. Mary
hears her name spoken by the man she thinks is the gardener, and suddenly her
mind clears and she sees that it is Jesus.
He is alive! In her wildest dreams, she never dared to
believe it could happen. The man she’d
followed for so long, the man who revealed God’s love to her and spoke heaven’s
wisdom into her heart, the one she thought she had lost forever was right
there, so close she could touch him. And
what did she want to do more than anything in that one moment? Every fiber of her being must have told her
to run to him, to throw her arms around him, to hold on to him and never let
go. But Jesus said no.
Jesus
asks us to listen to him, to follow him, to trust him, and to love him. These things are all hard enough, but perhaps
the hardest thing he asks of us is to
not hold on to him. We are to cling
to his Word and his promises, but not to Christ himself, for He has ascended to
the Father, and now comes to us in many ways… He comes in works of love and
healing, He comes in, with, and under the holy sacraments, He comes through the
wisdom of the scriptures, He comes in deeds of peace and hope, He comes when
two or more gather in His name, he comes in and through our prayers, He comes
in humble and believing hearts that seek his mercy and desire to share his
love. Through all of these He comes, He
who spoke our name at baptism, and when we finally recognize that firm and fair
voice and realize that our Master, Redeemer, Savior and Friend has been calling
out to us all this time, our hearts burn with Easter joy.
The
Easter season reminds us that we are not
to hold on to the things of this world.
The anger and hatred we hold for others, the guilt and shame that keeps
us from seeing God’s love for us, the regret and longing for a past that is
long gone, the ideologies and prejudices which put more value on one kind of
person than another, all of these things belong in the tomb, buried with the
crucified and broken body of the One who died for us. But now, that One is risen. He said to Mary, “…go to my brothers and say
to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God…”
(John 20:18).
Your giving to Atonement this year
enables us to bring the Word of hope into the lives of those who gather with us
Sunday mornings, but also to bring prayer to those who come for drive-in
prayers on Fridays. It will allow us to
provide concentrated caring ministry through the Stephen Ministry program, to
bring food to over 1000 local families through the food bank, to reach our
Hispanic neighbors with the hope of the Gospel, to continue men’s and women’s
Bible studies and children’s Sunday school, to give a home to community support
groups and Scout groups, to provide a website with Live Streaming for our
shut-ins and sign language translations of sermons for the hearing
impaired. The risen Jesus calls to us in
countless ways at Atonement as we worship, serve, and share the life He gives.
Our
Lord is risen indeed! This and every
Sunday He comes in Word and sacrament,
speaking your name and calling you to follow Him to new life. Thank you for hearing God’s call and sharing
His love through your generous tithes and offerings. Come join your church family this Easter as
we celebrate the resurrection and receive the light, life and joy that this
world cannot give.
Peace,
