From Weeping to Joy An Easter Reflection

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping.” John 20: 11-13

There are many stories of the war in Ukraine that make me weep, like the story of the mother who wrote identifying information on the bare skin of her two-year-old daughter. In case she and her husband were killed, she wanted her little girl to know where she came from.[1] There was also the story of a mother asking neighbors to help her bury her son in their backyard. In the midst of bombing and frantic evacuations, there were no official bodies to help care for the dead. “I just hope his grave will not be destroyed,” she said. “The men dug a grave in the garden between the roses, and put stones around it, and a cross over it.”[2]

Stories like these bring us all to tears.  We become like Mary, standing outside the devastation of a tomb weeping, realizing that someone has taken away something precious and irreplaceable. But there is a turn in Mary’s story that should give us hope. As Mary stood waiting outside the tomb, angels appeared to her and asked why she was weeping. She replied, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him,” John 20:13. Then Jesus himself appeared and asked her the same question. Mary at first did not recognize him. But when he called her name,  she recognized his voice. And she realized that Jesus was alive. God had raised him from the dead. The promise of Psalm 30 had come to fruition in her life: “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5

The people of Ukraine have shed many tears. There surely is more weeping ahead as bombs continue to rain down on their towns and cities. But in the midst of their tears, there is hope, because war cannot conquer the resurrected Christ. And, Jesus, through his death and resurrection, has overcome all sin and death. Through him, eventually, peace will reign and joy will come with the rising sun. Then every tear of the Ukrainian people will be wiped away.

A Prayer: Healing God, bring the balm of Gilead to the people of Ukraine, especially its children. Protect them from the ravages of war--shield them from its trauma. Bless them with the resilience to still hope and to one day be workers in your vineyard for peace. Amen.

 Kennetha Bigham-Tsai

Chief Connectional Ministries Officer of the Connectional Table

[1] “Name, phone, address: The writing on a child’s back is now a symbol of Ukrainian parents’ terror,” by Anushka Patil, New York Times, , 4/12/22.

[2] “Ukraine’s troops begin counteroffensive that alters shape of the battle with Russia,” by Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 3/24/22

Easter Lily Picture by Kathleen Barry United Methodist Communications