Misplaced Faith by Emmanuel Philor

Scripture: John 20:1-2 NRSV

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”

Misplaced Faith

We have gotten quite comfortable with the way things are supposed to be. We like for the circumstance of life to be predictable, which allows us to prepare for its circumstances. Unfortunately, there is so much change happening today that makes us uncomfortable. We cannot fathom the realities of our modern-day society, because we have never seen them before. I, for one, don’t recognize the country that we are living in. In the wake of the current crisis, we find ourselves riddled with fear and insecurity. We don’t feel safe to be in the places that once were our shelter in the times of storm. We are living in some hard times. Times are difficult because we are trying to figure out what exactly is going on. There are so many moving parts, that we can't focus on what truly matters. There’s international dissonance, illness is running rampant, financial resources are depleted, basic needs are in high demand, unqualified leadership is spewing lies, healthcare workers are sick and burnt out, and people are becoming mentally and emotionally depressed. This is not just a pandemic; this is a Crisis!

·         When the world is at war with an Airborne virus, we are in a crisis.

·         When elected officials read off a daily body-count on the news, we are in crisis.

·         When the United States is mirroring the Great Depression, we are in crisis.

·         When the church gatherings are deemed unsafe, we are in a crisis.

·         When more of the Lord’s Generals are dying than are recovering, we are in Crisis

·         When CME Christians (Christmas, Mother’s Day and Easter) can't meet their quota, we are in a crisis.

·         When hospital patients can’t be visited by their loved ones, we are in a crisis.

·         When the Pandemic shows that America’s infrastructure is broken, we are in a crisis!

While we claim to be such an advanced country, this crisis proves that we are more like hamsters on a wheel. We find ourselves moving in a cyclical motion, going back to the starting point again without ever making progress towards advancement. This pandemic is exposing the lack of advancement made by our country. The reality is that this great America is more like a whitewashed tomb, which is troubling to engage. Therefore, I have a difficult time understanding America, because the thriving of this country rests on the backs of those who are hurting. This Crisis that we are going through, as individuals and a country, calls for us to consider the realities of our understanding. The church is called to live in a unique place. Churches, which are normally filled with people, find themselves navigating filled experiences in empty places. This pandemic has taught me that we can’t continue using the building as a medium to reach God and feel God’s presence.

I found it timely that our government would sanction a “Quarantine” during the one time of the Liturgical Calendar that calls us to reflect. Lent is a place of internal wilderness, as we join in the suffering of Christ by searching our hearts that we may remove those things that are keeping God from getting in. This pandemic falling on us caused us to be locked into our houses with our loved ones. I have been amused by the Pseudo-Christian attempts to soothe the aches of these effects. The rise of Zoom-Pastors, Facebook Live Evangelists, Instagram Apostles and Snapchat Deacons who have tried to find a way to prove that their gifting is relevant. While this isn’t the case for all of us in ministry, the truth is that this season isn’t about being gifted. Quite frankly, this season is to push some of us Ordained “Mess”-engers out of the way. This is a season where the people of God get to see God for who God truly is.

I refuse to settle for exciting you with a correlation between both the tomb and the church being empty. What I will say is that this Crisis is beyond the Clichés. No, we can’t name and claim our way out of this. Sowing a seed won’t make a miracle transpire. This is a call to relationship with God, rather than being distracted by things with a form of Godliness. We are struggling on Resurrection Sunday to find solace amid the loss of our normalcy. We are confounded by the rough realities that surround these times that we are living. Beyond the place that we are in, let’s wrestle with the issue of the text. Imagine arriving to the cemetery, only to find that your loved one’s tomb is empty. As if the process of grieving isn't enough, being coupled with the fact that your loved one has vanished restarts it. Jesus’s suffering was painful to witness. Those who were close to him are afraid of the inevitable fate that Jesus would soon face. After his death and burial, the grief process is halted due to the Sabbath. This is the first time they returned to the tomb and it is empty. Moment of Transparency: I would be devastated. Just the thought of it puts my mind in a place of unease. The grief of a dual-loss is happening right before their eyes. Losing the life and the body would be a heartbreaking crisis. This is what is happening both in our text and in our world.

The issue of the empty tomb is that on Friday, we witnessed the one we believed in, die and be buried inside it. Coupled with this reality, our faith has died. Within the grief of faith, we have found something to replace the void. We put our dead faith in the tomb. The tomb, therefore, becomes an altar where we memorialize the dead. This is often the way in which we treat the church. The building is a place where we visit to memorialize the encounters of Calvary, without taking the remnants of its effects into our everyday lives.  With this in mind, I would join in with the women and find my heart shattered at the empty tomb. It's an uncomfortable feeling knowing that I am unable to continue with my routine relationship because the dead thing has disappeared. The tomb proves to me that we often only believe in what we can understand. If it goes beyond our comprehension, then we get confused, concerned or complain that it's not of God. But, our text debunked this theory. The tomb is empty and it is of God. Jesus died on Friday but Jesus's death was not long-term. Jesus proves that which died on Friday can live again on Sunday. Just as Jesus’s Death was short-term, so will this season of quarantine.

Family, all of the tombs of our lives are open and empty. Now that we have lost the weight the kept us tied to the tomb, we are freed to the newness of life in Jesus. The empty tomb suggested that Jesus had been lost or misplaced. Actually, we had just misplaced our faith in Him. We misplaced our understanding of Him. We misplaced our commitment to Him. We misplaced our relationship with Him. If we are being honest, this crisis/pandemic teaches us that we have put our allegiances in the wrong place. After this time of isolation and quarantine, we have had to go to the throne for ourselves. Since we’ve begun that journey, I pray that we never mis-place our faith in Jesus ever again. I pray we remember the sacrifice that was made for us on Calvary. I pray we remember the ways He's made and the doors He's open. I pray we remember the relationship we've gained with Him during this time. And, as a reminder, I join in with the songwriter and say:

One day they led Him up Calvary's mountain

One day they nailed Him to die on a tree

Suffering anguish, despised and rejected

Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He

Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree

And took the nails for me

Living, He loved me

Dying, He saved me

Buried, He carried my sins far away

Rising, He justified freely forever

One day He's coming back