Kahu's Manao
Keawala‘i Congregational Church
United Church of Christ (USA)
Easter Sunday
Sunday, April 4, 2010
The Rev. Kealahou C. Alika
Easter is the time of year for many when what may have been a long, cold, dark and wet winter finally gives way to the warmth, light and sunshine of spring.
It is a time to gather with family and friends – to eat and to enjoy each other’s company – and to indulge our children with Easter egg hunts and candy.
It is a time when our thoughts turn to new life and living. It would be easy enough for me to tell you stories about butterflies and about transformations and changes that lead to new possibilities. But Easter is also a time when we remember the final days of Jesus’ life. We remember his death and we remember his resurrection and it is within the context of Easter that we are able to appreciate more fully any stories we may tell about butterflies and new possibilities .
We find ourselves pondering the significance of Easter not simply for ourselves but for all of humankind. Down through the centuries the debate over what occurred on that first Easter has captured the attention of each succeeding generation. Some say the supernatural event of the resurrection was a physical reality.
After all the Bible makes clear that Jesus rose from the dead. He ate fish and walked through doors. He spoke with his disciples and followers and was touched by Thomas.
In our own day and time, the debate continues. Lisa Miller, in her most recent book, Heaven: Our Enduring Fascination With the Afterlife (HarperCollins, 2010) calls attention to the debate when she raises a number of questions.
Was the resurrection of Jesus the revivification of his human flesh? In other words, was the body of Jesus reconstituted physically? Or was it a “metaphor for something else: an inexplicable event, a new kind of life, the birth of the Christian community on earth, the renewal of a people, an individual’s spiritual rebirth, a bodiless ascension to God.” (Op. cit., page 57)
The questions will continued to be raised for generations to come. In the end the debate may never be settled. But whether one believes in the resurrection as a physical reality or one comes to an understanding of the resurrection as a metaphor, the greater question remains: “What difference will it make in my life, in your life and in the life of others?’
What matters most for me is that it points the way to the transformative power of God’s amazing grace. The struggle to understand what God’s grace means is not unlike our struggle to understand what the resurrection means.
Perhaps the struggle to understand is what keeps our faith alive. It was not too long ago that I met a young man whose life was profoundly changed because of a moment of grace.
“I was hānai by my tutu” Manu said. “I was raised by her when I was a young child.”
“My mom and dad had their share of problems. When my grandma got older and became sick, I was sent to live with my mom in California. She would beat me for reasons that I never understood.”
“There were times when I wouldn’t go home. I would just stay out on the streets. My dad had his share of drug problems and ended up in prison.”
“My mom would tell me that I wasn’t worth anything. The more she told me I wouldn’t amount to anything, the more determined I became to prove her wrong.”
“I joined the military service to get away from them. After I was done with my time I returned home to Hawai‘i and met the person I am going to marry.”
He said much more than I am sharing with you now. The more he talked about the abuse he had suffered, the more I wondered how it was that he managed not only to survive but to finally thrive.
“With all that you have been through,” I asked, “what kept you going? What was it that guided you or gave you strength or helped you to along the way?”
I expected him to say, “I prayed about it.” Or, “I guess I just had it in me to keep fighting back. If you tell me I can’t do something, I’ll do it.”
Instead he said, “The one thing I remember about my life as a kid is that my tütü played with me.”
“Your grandma played with you?” I asked.
“Yep!” he answered. “She played with me.”
“That’s it!” I thought. “Your grandma played with you.”
I recognized for the first time what it means when we are able to experience God’s amazing grace. It almost always comes to us in unexpected ways.
The grace of God was present in grandma’s play. She played with him – offering to him a measure of joy and hope through her warmth and affection – without realizing that the memory of his days with her would transform and change his life forever because he knew the truth about himself – that his life had value and worth.
It is said that the life cycle of a butterfly includes four stages – the egg, the larva, the pupa and the adult. Butterflies lay their egg and at some point the eggs hatch into larvae or what we call caterpillars.
At some point a caterpillar will attach itself to the underside of a leaf and it is there that it stops feeding and begins to undergo a remarkable transformation. I remember watching such a transformation occurring in our science class when I was in the fifth grade.
How was it that possible that such a creature crawling along so close to the ground would one day take flight and soar so high above? Along the way a butterfly is faced with enormous challenges and that is especially true in its life as a caterpillar.
But a moment comes when the caterpillar becomes a butterfly. Do I believe in the resurrection? Yes, I do. Do I fully understand what it means? No. Not always. I think I do and then there are times when I am not sure.
What I do know is this: I believe in butterflies and I believe in Manu’s grandma and I believe that change and transformation is possible and if that is true than anything is possible.
He is not here. He is risen!
About Our Website
Any opinions expressed in this website are those of the writer or writers
involved. Unless otherwise noted, such opinions are not to be construed
as the position taken by any of the boards, committees, or council of
the church.