Henri Nouwen wrote a meditation called “Smiles Breaking Through Tears.” Many people mourning the death of a loved one have found this to be a healing image.
“Dying is a gradual diminishing and final vanishing over the horizon of life. When we watch a sailboat leaving port and moving toward the horizon, it becomes smaller and smaller until we can no longer see it. But we must trust that someone is standing on a faraway shore seeing that same sailboat become larger and larger until it reaches its new harbor. Death is a painful loss. When we return to our homes after a burial, our hearts are in grief. But when we think about the One standing at the other shore eagerly waiting to welcome our beloved friend into a new home, a smile can break through our tears.”
On this Easter Sunday, we celebrate the resurrection of our Master and Leader, Jesus, “the One standing at the other shore.” The news that he came back from the dead and lives forever gave the first disciples both a scare and the motivation to preach the Good News of a living Savior. The life of Jesus is our hope for new life, our courage to change, and the Spirit within us that makes us want to be a healthy church for his sake. And the resurrection gives us the strength to face the painful loss of our loved ones. He has defeated death. That is why on this resurrection Sunday we smile, sometimes through our tears and we proclaim, “Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!”
No comments:
Post a Comment