Show up for new life.
On the first day of the week, while it was still dark, and grief hung in the air like fog, two women went to the tomb.
They might not have. Sometimes when you’re sad, you just want to stay in bed, hide beneath the covers from the hard, cold world. When they crucified Jesus, it must have felt like a piece of them died, too. That part of them that hoped for a more accepting, forgiving, less violent world was sealed behind the tomb, while it was business as usual for the forces of cruelty, intolerance, and violence.
Despite their broken hearts, somehow, they mustered the gumption to go to the tomb even though they had no plan to move the stone, and the guards might arrest them—or worse. They might have just as easily stayed in bed, thinking, “Why even bother trying to do the right thing? Somebody’s going to squash any good you try to do anyway.”
But because they persevered and went anyway, they experienced the risen Christ and made history because of their faithfulness. Two thousand years later, we’re still talking about them. They are the models for the importance of one of life’s simplest lessons: show up.
Move forward even though you don’t have it all figured out. Be faithful. Show up. When you show up in love, you may discover that God has already been at work. You may discover the stone has already started moving. You may discover that what looked like an ending was not an ending at all.
When Jesus shows up.
The Marys weren’t the only ones who showed up in that garden. Amid their pain and confusion, guess who else showed up. The risen one. They showed up for him, and he showed up for them.
And the promise of Easter is that the risen one shows up for us, too. Especially when life has just given us a gut punch, and your world is rocked.
When Jesus shows up, it is God’s assurance that even when the worst happens, God is not done yet. There is another chapter. Something good can come out of every situation, no matter how bad. When Jesus shows up, we need not fear death or what anyone would say about us or do to us. For we are held by something greater.
- When Jesus shows up, broken people find wholeness.
- When Jesus shows up, the weak say I am strong, the poor say I am rich because of what the Lord has done.
So do not tell me that cruelty, intolerance, and violence win.
Do not tell me business-as-usual has the last word.
Because early on the first day of the week, while grief hung in the air like fog, two women showed up at a tomb and Jesus showed up.
How Jesus shows up.
He’s still showing up. Jesus shows up for us in many ways. Sometimes it is a sense of inner peace amid chaos. Sometimes it is in a spiritual connection with art, music, or nature. Sometimes he comes to us when we volunteer or help someone in need. Sometimes, when we are in need, Jesus shows up through the thoughtfulness of others.
I remember when a colleague called me out of the blue during the roughest stretch of my life. I didn’t know him that well. But he took the initiative. He said, “I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but I can take you to lunch. You can talk about it if you want, but if not, that’s cool, too.” It was healing. Because he cared, I felt assured that God cared too. And it was enough to keep me going to the next step. I’ll never forget it. You never know the impact the simple act of showing up will have on people.
Showing up can be hard.
I’m not going to pretend that showing up is easy. It’s always easier not to show up. I saw a video of a guy saying that on Wednesday, “happy me” agreed to go to brunch with friends. But when Saturday morning rolled around, lazy me kicked in. Instead of overpaying for coffee and hearing about everyone’s latest doctor’s appointments, I’d rather stay at home and stare at the ceiling. To get out of it, I find myself Googling convincing ways to fake food poisoning.
Can you relate? I can. There was a community event I RSVP’d for last week—the Worker’s Seder at Temple Israel. It sounded good, but after work, I was scheming ways to skip it so I could watch the Iowa Hawkeyes’ basketball game. However, with my wife’s encouragement, I went, and I’m really glad I did. It was a tremendously moving service, and I met some people with whom I have a lot in common. I wound up sitting next to a guy from Iowa who was watching the game on his phone. I made a new friend. The magic happens by showing up. You’re usually glad you did.
Not always, but the times it does, it makes all the others more than worthwhile.
You don’t have to fix it, just be there.
Sometimes, we hesitate to show up because it’s uncomfortable to be around someone going through a tough time. It tends to bring our own issues to the surface. Sometimes, it’s the awkwardness of not knowing what to say and worrying that we might say something harmful instead of helpful, so we avoid it.
Here’s the deal. You don’t have to be profound. You just have to be present. People usually remember that you were there, not what you said. Presence is love with skin on.
How present are you when you’re present?
I heard a guy say the adage that life is 80% about showing up. He said he’d set the percentage at 60%, and 20% is howyou show up. You’ve got to be there when you get there. That is, presence means being fully engaged. Not distracted by your phone or thinking of what you are going to say next.
Be there after you show up. Get your brain there, your attention there, too.
Be the kind of person who shows up.
What if you became the kind of person dedicated to showing up? How might that increase your joy, your sense of purpose? So, I want to ask you: where do you need to show up? Who needs your presence?
What if we showed up for our families?
What if we showed up for our community?
What if we showed up for the things God wants us to be about? That’s where you find the risen Christ in your life. That’s where you find healing, wholeness, and joy.
Show up for your own life, too. What if you showed up to take care of your needs so you can become a better person?
I’m about to embark on a sabbatical with the theme of being fully present, so I can work on it, too, and be a better pastor. It’s something we can all work toward.
Easter means showing up.
Before I go, I want to close with this.
Early on the first day of the week, while grief hung in the air like fog, two women showed up at a tomb.
And an angel showed up.
And Jesus showed up.
And the stone was rolled away.
And death lost its sting.
So church, show up.
Show up and sing.
Show up and serve.
Show up and trust that the God who raised Jesus is not done yet.
Because Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed!
Christ is risen in defiance of the meanness in the air.
Christ is risen in defiance of business-as-usual.
Christ is risen in defiance of every voice that belittles, shames, and pushes people down.
Christ is risen, and because he lives, we can embrace the fullness of life.
We can show up.
We can stand up.
We can rise up.
Because Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Amen.