Over the last year and a half we've had more than enough opportunity to discover just how destructive, powerful and life-changing earthquakes can be. We know about Japan. There are still tens of thousands of people without homes; radiation continues to spew from nuclear plants in amounts great enough that it's apparently been detected in at least very minute amounts here in Ontario. Families have been devastated; people put out of work; at least 25,000 people were killed. For those who survived this was a life changing moment. We don't hear enough about Haiti anymore. That seems so long ago. I came across this post on the internet from someone who recently visited that troubled country: “ I've taken three trips to Haiti since the earthquake and yes, it does still look like the day after the quake. The destroyed buildings and debris still litter the streets of Port au Prince and surrounding areas. Over a million people still have no real shelter or place to … call home.” When we're confronted by such things, it's hard for us to keep in mind that as destructive as they can be, earthquakes are perfectly natural – they're the way the earth is continually being remade and reconfigured from what it has been into what it will be.

 

     Given how destructive and truly frightening we've come to think of earthquakes in recent years, I wonder how many are surprised to discover that the first Easter morning was greeted with an earthquake? “There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.” Now, is Matthew here speaking of a literal earthquake? The same type of thing that struck Haiti and Japan? We don't know. It's quite conceivable that there was an earthquake that struck that region on the same day that the empty tomb was discovered. Natural events like that were often seen as harbingers of God doing something amazing and powerful. It's also possible that Matthew is using the image of an “earthquake” to make a spiritual point: Just as a violent earthquake affects everything and everyone and leaves virtually nothing unchanged, so does the resurrection of Jesus Christ affect everything and everyone and leave virtually nothing unchanged. We can't experience the resurrection of Jesus Christ – we can't be convicted within our hearts of His real presence in our midst – and not be changed. We can't even reject the idea of Jesus' resurrection and not be changed in some way. Faith or no faith – what we decide about Jesus affects every aspect of our lives in some way, from how we raise our children to how we vote on May 2. If we have faith in Jesus we're going to look at the world and all of our decisions with a particular lens; if we don't have faith in Jesus we're going to look at the world and all of our decisions with a particular lens. As a proud Canadian, I've mad a decision about whether I want Vancouver or Montreal to win the Stanley Cup and bring it back north of the border finally (and I apologize to you Habs fans, but I've settled on Vancouver as my team!) But that “decision” doesn't really affect the truly important decisions I have to make. Deciding whether or not to believe in Jesus affects everything else in my life. The resurrection is like an earthquake that tosses everything around to the point at which we may not even be sure of where everything's going to land. I've believed in Jesus for over 20 years now and yet I'm still being constantly challenged to figure out exactly what it is I believe, because every passage of Scripture I read and every person of faith I talk to challenges me to consider something more. Every now and then I'll look at a sermon I preached years ago and find myself shaking my head and thinking “I can't believe I said that.” Twenty years from now I'll look back at sermons I've preached here and say the same thing. Because Jesus is always changing us and recreating us and renewing us. The resurrection is indeed in many ways like an earthquake that leaves nothing the way it was. Think about it.

 

     Like an earthquake, the resurrection of Jesus changes that which was. Nothing is ever the same again once you've had that initial encounter and then ongoing encounters I hope with the risen Jesus. That's one of the challenges of believing in the risen Jesus. That type of faith in such an awe-inspiring event that makes absolutely no sense and yet whose impact no one has really been able to satisfactorily explain away forces us to let go of the past, to stop clinging to the old dusty ways of doing things and to embrace a new life and a new world. And that's hard. Change is hard. It was hard for the first disciples of Jesus. It was hard for the women who discovered the empty tomb. They didn't know what to make of all this. They knew Jesus had died. That was their reality and that was the motivation behind their going to the tomb that morning. But He wasn't there. That tomb was empty. All their expectations were thrown up in the air; what had happened a couple of days before – that crucifixion that was burned into their memories as Jesus died before them – now meant nothing. They didn't know what to do. Their emotions showed that. They were “afraid yet filled with joy.” Having everything you thought was true suddenly taken away is unsettling at best; terrifying at worst. The women had to confront a new reality, because ....

 

     Like an earthquake, the resurrection creates that which is. By our belief that Jesus still lives, our lives are transformed. Now, change is a constant. We all change. With or without Jesus we all change. I'm not saying that change only happens because of Jesus. It's the type of change that Jesus brings about that's worthy of note. Jesus brings hope out of despair in ways that no one and nothing else is able to do, and when we face even the hardest of times we suddenly find ourselves with the strength to persevere and keep going. The person who wrote about their visits to Haiti since the earthquake also shared this thought: “several churches were destroyed on that fateful day though the Haitians' faith is stronger than ever before. These are some of the most resilient people on earth.” It's fascinating to me (and it's been demonstrated over and over again throughout history) that so many who live in comfort claim to be angry with God about such things and turn away from God because of such things while those who suffer these calamities seem to find such strength in God and in their faith. If we could only set aside our preconceived notions of what God “should” do (if we could resist the temptation of playing God ourselves) and simply let God embrace us and hold us and walk us through the challenges we face then we also would approach daily life – with its mixture of joys and sorrows, victories and defeats – with a new perspective; a perspective of hope. The women suddenly encountered Jesus, and they “clasped His feet and worshiped Him.” Their despair had turned to joy in a matter of minutes, because they realized that Jesus was still with them. Once again, the women had to confront a new reality, because …

 

     Like an earthquake, the resurrection promises us that which will be. The transformation of our lives is always ongoing if we're open to the work of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. Somehow even the most desperate and despairing people find a way to soldier on and rebuild and create something new and exciting. It takes time. It takes work. God won't do it all for us; we have to put some effort into this life of faith if we want faith to really be meaningful to us. But faith creates something new. Haiti and Japan will rebuild. As horrifying as their experiences have been and continue to be they will rebuild, and hopefully we'll all learn lessons from their experiences. Faith is like that. It rebuilds our lives and it teaches us lessons about how to live. The risen Jesus then challenges us to help other rebuild their lives. “Go and tell my brothers ...” Jesus said to the women. 'Start them on the road to a transformed life. Confront them with the reality that I'm still alive.' And the women ran, and the women shared, and the disciples shared, and the people they shared with shared – this wonderful message about the love of God shown for all the world with such power and such glory. They didn't necessarily understand it all – just as I don't understand it all – but they believed it. They were impacted so powerfully that they had no choice but to believe it. And starting with a handful of women who went to a tomb to anoint a dead body, they changed the world. Try to tell me that the resurrection isn't true!

 

     It all started with “a violent earthquake.” Earthquakes are frightening, but they're a necessary part of the earth's existence. They transform and they recreate and they bring forth that which is new. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the same – the presence of the risen Lord today is the power that's constantly with us and that's transforming us and recreating us and bringing forth within us a new creation!