When we come to the empty tomb, we have a choice to make. We have come with an expectation and God has turned upside-down our expectations by doing something miraculous. Jesus is not here. He is Risen from the dead.
The women brought spices, which when mingled with the sap-like substance called myrrh, became a think, heavy, glob which smelled of pine and molasses and, along with cloth bandages, would encase the corpse in a thick shell so that flesh could rot in darkness and peace. But the plans changed. The offerings (Myrrh was the same price as gold) were being re-directed away form a dark tomb and into a city, a town and a world. Jesus is now in everyone – the gifts are redirected to humanity.
So what do we do? What choice do we make when faced with a game changer? What happens when things do not turn out the way we had planned or expected? And what if the change is to result in something better than we could have imagined? What if, when all is said and done, the strange, disappointing, frightening, exhausting things which life presents to us are perfect – and hard – and wonderful – and different than we had planned? Where is God in that? God is smiling, near, and preparing to whisper “love” into our ear before kissing our neck just under our right ear.
