Resting in the Joy of Easter

Jesus the master says, “Go yonder angel and fetch a long white robe, a pair of shoes and a golden waistband. Place the shoes on my servant’s feet and place the golden waist band upon my servant’s waist”. Then to the servant, Jesus says “sit down”. But I can’t sit down. My soul’s so happy that I can’t sit down! After years of hard labour, Jesus meets the slave and commands the them to sit down, put their feet up, enjoy new shoes, enjoy a golden waistband (which were unattainable luxuries), sit down and rest. But the labourer can’t. My soul’s so happy that I can’t sit down!” This seems so apt for Easter Sunday. Because the promise of resurrection is that God is with us no matter how hard the labour. We can rest in that promise. We don’t have to work for this promise. All we need to do is accept it, trust it, and rest in God’s unconditional love. But this truth is so exciting that it’s hard to sit down. The joy of resurrection, the joy of new shoes on the aching feet of a poor labourer is beyond imagination. Understood in the context of oppression and slavery, we can see why the kingdom of God is so rich with promise, and freedom and rest. There’s no way the servant can sit down in the presence of the soul’s utter joy. As I look around our community, I see us all working so hard. I see tired mom’s and dad’s managing so many needs. I see people stressed by unemployment. I see loving partners working hard to take care of their spouse through failing health. I see children and youth being over scheduled without enough time to play—adults too. I still see busyness as a mark of self-purpose. I see us slowly finding our selves after having been lost in the disaster. I wonder what our equivalent to new shoes and a golden waist band might be? What does the good news of Easter mean to us and how might that mean physical, mental and spiritual rest to us in such a way that our soul is so happy that we can’t, we just can’t sit down? Easter joy is soul joy