Many of you were able to attend the retreat held at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes last weekend. Thanks to the creative and brilliant work of the Retreat Planning Committee, the event was a roaring success! I believe I can safely say that for those of us attending, it was extremely relaxing and enjoyable. The Committee’s efforts exceeded all expectations.
The retreat ended with a worship service held in the Y’s Chapel. It was led by the Rev. Greg Buntin, a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) pastor. (Coincidentally, he and Pastor Thandiwe share the same faith tradition.) Rev Buntin opened the service with a short hymn sing. He led us in prayer: focusing on ourselves, others, our communities, and the world. We shared in the Lord’s Supper (a weekly occurrence in the Christian Church, and Rev. Buntin made sure everyone present knew they were welcome at Christ’s table.) And he preached on a theme familiar to our congregation: Holy Humor Sunday— the traditional theme for the Sunday after Easter.
However, he didn’t preach in the usual humorous way. He spoke about a time during his college days when he was required to compare the contents of all four Gospels. It’s an arduous process, and actually, when you truly read the Gospels side by side, they do tell the story of Jesus’ life but not in the same way. The only thing that is the same is the conclusion: All of them end up with an account of the resurrection, about how those of us who choose to follow Jesus agree to “…lose our life and give up ourselves to follow Him.”
Rev. Buntin concluded his message by saying,
“And what does it mean to lose our life for Christ? Well, it's about being propelled into a new way of living and relating to one another - living, loving, and giving of ourselves as Christ did - wholly and unconditionally.
[…It’s about choosing to live a resurrection life.]
When we feed the hungry, there is resurrection. When we welcome the stranger, there is resurrection.
When we comfort the sick, there is resurrection.
When we speak out against injustice, there is resurrection.
When we forgive, there is resurrection.
There is resurrection, because the life we give brings new life to others. And in that resurrection moment, all lives are transformed.
David Felton and Jeff Proctor-Murphy say, "The secret to practicing resurrection is in giving away who we are and what we have - completely and wholly - to something greater than ourselves. It's in escaping from the circumstances and choices that entomb us and entering into new life here and now. In life and in death, Jesus modeled this generosity and transformation for followers then and now.
As we embrace resurrection as a credible and meaningful principle for living, we, like Jesus, may become more than anyone around us - or even we ourselves—could have imagined, or believed the credibility of the resurrection stories, because of their inconsistencies: who wouldn’t challenge the facts, struggle to believe it happened, or even write it off as a joke!
May our lives bear witness to the truth - resurrection is real. New life is happening all around us, and our lives are evidence of it - because we have been seen it, we know it, and we are Resurrection people!”
Rev. Buntin’s words are words of hope during this Eastertide, and they are especially meaningful when too much gloom rages in the land where Christ rose. Our days can easily be filled with despair due to what occurs around us. May we always remember that we are faith-filled people, like the first Easter believers, and we will hold steadfast to our resurrection beliefs.
Rev. Elizabeth Endicott
