Luke 24:1-12

Luke 24:1-12 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Easter was yesterday, a glorious day when hope rises in the morning out of the dark and desperate tomb.  The women show up to embalm a body, and instead they find themselves proclaiming the marvelous truth that Jesus had risen from the dead.
  We heard those words proclaimed in joyous fashion yesterday, but they fade by today, as the burdens and demands of daily life take hold of our pressured minds.  We get caught up in all that the world asks of us, and the hope of the resurrection and the certainty of life beyond the shadow of death retreat from the front of our minds.  Just as the women needed an angelic reminder of what Christ had promised, we, too, need a reminder of Christ's assurance and of the power of the Good News of the Gospel for us.  When the women returned from the tomb and told the disciples, the disciples didn't believe, but Peter went and searched for himself to discover the truth of their claim.
  The women needed a reminder from an angel, and Peter needed to find out for himself.  The path of a faithful life is never straight and never flawless, but it is covered by grace and supported by community -- we are here for one another, helping see how God is at work.  The disciples didn't see it correctly all the time, just as I often wake in the morning and my priorities are all in the wrong order.
  Christ has risen from the grave, and today is a new day -- the mercies of the Lord are new every morning.  I lean into mercy and look to the faith community to help guide and correct me along the way.