Afraid for...

 Mark 16:1-8

This is one of the least impressive readings for Easter Sunday. It ends with them being afraid and telling no one what they encountered, the message they received this Easter morning. Yet the Greek ends with an even weirder ending. They were afraid for...  It is not filled in. It is left open for us. Now this gives us something interesting to explore.

The intention of the writer of Mark was trying to help us explore what we are afraid of. Because a resurrected savior brings us to new things, all the time. What are we afraid of? Well, after working in the church for 10 years I have seen fear. We fear change. Anything which takes us away from tradition. Anything which means we do things differently than has always been done. The funny thing about Jesus rising is they disciples had to change. They couldn't be just Jews anymore, and eventually they were kicked out of the synagogue for talking about this Jesus. Their whole way of worship changed.

What do we fear, anything which says we might have to give up something. In order to grow flowers give up the exact spot they bloomed in before. They don't look the same as they did last year. Maybe they don't face the same way, or aren't as full, or are more full. They intrinsically know this is for their life season after season. For our life as the church in the future, we may have to give some things up and mourn their loss. The thing is it will bring us new life. Isn't this what Easter is all about.

We fear anything new and different. This new and different isn't traditional, it isn't how it was before, it isn't good. We don't worship like we did back when this church first came on the scene. Believe me, the language has changed for good reason. One year Richard and I attended an Anglican Church in Fredricton New Brunswick Canada. The service was led from the 1637 prayer book. It was awful. I felt so detached from the worship. I couldn't understand it and I felt totally left out. How much of our current service leaves people out? How much can they not understand? It isn't some great Episcopal thing to have to be interpreted in order for people to come through our doors. 

Jesus came, he celebrated things at the temple, and he gave the disciples new actions to remember him by, and a new commandment, love one another. New things, given to an old religion. What are you afraid for? This is a good question to explore, one we need to look into if we are to live anew.