Let us see you LORD. Let us see your risen glory.
We are too busy looking at where you were and we miss where you are now. We can't seem to see past the limited horizons of mortal life. Open the eyes of our hearts and enlighten them (cf. Eph. 1:18). Let us fix our eyes on you (cf. Heb. 12:2). Let us keep our eyes on you no matter how the wind blows (cf. Mat. 14:30).
We need you to help us see you or we won't recognize you even though you are with us.
They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him.
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
We need you to speak our name. The sound of your voice will cut through all of the expectations which the world imposes on us. We have a hard time believing that you can rise from the dead. We acknowledge the fact but we don't see it in our daily experience so we weep with Mary Magdalene, mistaking you for the gardener. But when you call our names we are cut to the heart. The reality of your presence is more real than the supposed laws of decay and death. It is more real than our distractions and obsessions. It is more real than our the expectations which are formed by our limited experiences. Your voice speaks to us from outside of ourselves, from beyond the grasp of sin and death. It gives us the confidence which Peter has. We say:
“Let the whole house of Israel know for certain
that God has made him both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus whom you crucified.”
We ourselves know for certain that you are both Lord and Christ because you first speak our names. This is the necessary first step before we say with Mary, "I have seen the Lord." Then, as we proclaim the truth to the whole house of Israel and to the nations you speak the names of all who will listen.
Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
This is something we can stake our whole lives on. In fact there is nothing else which holds up. Besides you, everything ends in death and decay. When those things call us to move away from you they are a siren song toward destruction. When they call, LORD, call us back to you more loudly. Call us through our tears. Call us through our pain. Jesus, call us by name! Let your voice cut through the wind and the waves to reach our hearts! Call us to renew your forgiveness and to fan into flame the gift of the Holy Spirit which you promise and pour out.
You don't stop with Mary Magdalene. And you don't stop with us. This promise is to for everyone:
For the promise is made to you and to your children
and to all those far off,
whomever the Lord our God will call.”
As you call our names and we receive this promise let us know it is true for sure so that we can share it with courage and joy. Give us the confidence of the psalmist:
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness
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