4 April 2010 Luke 24:1-12

Luke 24:1-12

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
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"Why do you look for the living among the dead?" Spring is here. The Bradford Pears, daffodils, and forthysia are past their prime. The dogwoods and azaleas will soon be in bloom. Dandelions and wild onions are raging. Birds are nesting. This weekend, Easter weekend, promises to be warm and sunny. Many of our neighbors, and perhaps some of us, will flock to the garden centers and buy annual flowers and tomato plants, eager, perhaps too eager, to participate in the rites of spring.

Spring, and Easter, is about growth, new life and new possibilities. Growth, any growth, requires sacrifice. I find myself wondering what comfortable but useless, or even harmful, habits (addictions really) am I willing to give up so that I might grow. What are the weeds that I am allowing to grow in the garden that is my life? What about the chives and mint I planted years ago that are now out of control. Am I willing to put in the time and effort to eradicate them, or at least get them under control? I've been here before, so have the weeds.

It seems to me that the weeds are as eager to grow and reproduce as the flowers and vegetables that I plant, and the weeds seem to have an edge. I'll wait until April 15th to plant my tomatoes. Until then, I need to get after those weeds.