A look at the gaps in the lectionary.
This week: the gap between Easter Day and Easter 2B
The text: none
The lectionary proceeds straight from the resurrection story to the first post-resurrection story. And the themes present in the main story remain: anxiety, fear, and confusion. Which, let’s be real, is not what we associate with Easter.
And yet, it is the most obvious common theme between the readings.
Followers are scared of living in a world without Jesus. To the point that they are fearful of the very thought that he isn’t dead!
But because fear is not our association with Easter (we’re supposed to be up and happy—celebrating the victory!) it strikes me that the down elements of the resurrection are right there—we just never go there.
What if we went there this time?
I don’t know that its worth it. But it seems natural to me. And I’d love to hear some preaching about fear on Easter. But I also like to hear about death at funerals. So I’m not the judge of what’s popular. Only what resonates with the material.
But let’s say for a minute that we tried to face the fear elements, can we do that while also honoring the joy? I certainly think so. This is actually how I structure my sermons most times: go low, then lift up.
We also lose the witness of the women.
As we move from Easter Day, with the witness of Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb, we now move to the boys club in the upper room. And what was the profound witness of Mary shifts back to those blockheads who raced each other and fear going out in public.
The exception, of course, is Thomas. But we’ll talk about him later. For now, we have a witness by those who are avoiding their walk with Christ while ignoring the one who told them all about it.
That, too, is telling.