PASTOR’S COLUMN – April 2025

   

      “On the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women came to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.  They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body.  While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them.  The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen.’” Luke 24:1-5

   June 18, 1815.  Does that date mean anything to you?

   It’s the date of the famous Battle of Waterloo.  The French army under the command of Napoleon versus the allied forces under the command of Wellington.  In this battle, the people of England relied entirely upon an elaborate system of semaphore signals to receive news about how the battle was going.  The chief signal station being on the tower of Winchester Cathedral. 

   Late in the day, it flashed the signal: “Wellington… Defeated…”  Just at that moment, one of those sudden, thick English fog clouds rolled in, making it impossible to read the message anymore.  The news of defeat quickly spread throughout the city.  The whole countryside was soon in despair.  But then, just as quickly as the fog had rolled in, it lifted, and the remainder of the message could be read.  The message, it seems, had four words not two.  The complete message read: “Wellington… Defeated… The… Enemy!”

   It took only moments for the good news to spread.  Sorrow turned into joy, defeat into victory.  All over a mistake in punctuation.  People putting a period in the wrong place.  A simple mistake that happens far too often – and with far too tragic results.

   On Easter morning, the women arrive at Jesus’ tomb to anoint his dead body.  They are met by a couple of angels who ask them an odd question: “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”  Note: It’s a trick question.  The women are not looking for the living among the dead, they are looking for the dead among the dead!  They didn’t bring breakfast to the tomb; they brought a home embalming-kit!

   The angels are trying to point them in a new direction.  Even before they utter the key phrase, “He is risen”, they are letting the women in on what has occurred: 

   That which you think is dead is alive.  That which you believe is “Period.  End of story” is truly just “Comma.  The story continues!”

   The death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ – the central event of the Christian faith.  In his death, Jesus took our sin upon himself and died our death that we might be forgiven and freed.  An overwhelming gift in and of itself. 

   But what if it just ends there? 

   Well then, while we may be forgiven, sin still has the last word. 

   But God will not have that!  In Easter, God in effect says, “Wrong!  I get the final say!  I get the last word!  And my final word is life!  He is risen!”

   You see, to be a Christian, you have to know the rules of punctuation.  Put the period in the wrong place and you get your life all messed up!  Yet this is exactly what we so often do!

   In the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God says to us: “Death is not the final word, loss is not the final word, injustice is not the final word, evil is not the final word, guilt is not the final word, pain is not the final word, suffering is not the final word, failure is not the final word, sin is not the final word…  I always get the last word, and I’m not done speaking yet!  My final word is Life!”

   How are you punctuating your life these days?

In Christ,

Rev. Clark Lynn Callender