904 Washington St SE, Olympia, WA 98501
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
By the time you get around to reading this, Resurrection will have already happened. The empty tomb and its significance for us is mysterious, joyful and grounded in hope. Our Hope that new life is available to all. That the One who walked this earth, continues to travel with us; guiding, teaching, revealing the Way, is indeed, Alive! As the old hymn says: He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!
Now that resurrection has been released throughout the Cosmos, what do we focus on now? We’ve had this build-up, that led us to participate in a parade of celebration as Jesus finally arrived to Jerusalem amongst the shouts of Hosanna! From there, the world and our lives implode, as rejoicing leads to betrayal, arrest, torture, a death sentence and then public execution, in a most humiliating way. When all is lost; when souls are crushed and in a state of disrepair and disorientation, God’s story says there is still faithfulness. Faithfulness that comes in the form of women. Ordinary, common, women. In the early hours of the day, in the darkness of the coming dawn, they do what needs to be done. They come to properly, prepare the body of the one who they love. They have known him, followed him, admired him, served him, embraced his teachings, his heart, his identity. Despite their own broken hearts and spirits, their grief, they come to do what needs to be done. Faithfulness, in this case, means showing up and doing what needs to be done, what comes next. Quietly, but boldly, they take a risk of exposure, being ostracized and/or physical harm, to remain faithful to their beloved Jesus, even in death. Faithfulness.
What’s next? Faithfulness. We live in a world that is overflowing with uncertainty, chaos, cruelty, and, yes, evil. We also live in a world that holds beauty, order, kindness, and pushes back on evil and injustice. Both of those opposites are true. We cannot embrace one and ignore the other. We hold both. They are both part of our reality. Our faithfulness, our faith, grounded in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, calls us to show up. It asks us to acknowledge our weakness, our broken bits; to deny ourselves when those things try to convince us that what we want, is best. But it also means that we pick up our crosses, the things that weigh us down, that prevent us from being who God created us to be and then, simply, follow. That’s faithful living. Deny…pick up our cross…follow. Follow Jesus into the world. Loving God. Loving neighbor/others. Helping. Serving. Encouraging. Sacrificing. Doing. Resting. Laughing. Singing. Dancing. In the midst of good times; grief; loneliness, depression, isolation. We follow. We show up. We do what we are called to do; what needs to be done.
Resurrection calls us to Faithfulness!
I almost forgot. Faithful living is never done in isolation. You need a community. You need ragamuffins, just like you, who are just as capable of being stiff-necked and broken, yet also have the will and way to do what needs to be done. And do it for the right reasons, with compassion, mercy, and grace. We need others to lean on. We need others to share those moments of grief and loss. We need others to encourage us, to see within us what we don’t see. We need each other. If not, faithful living will be like the seed scattered along rocky ground. Without strong roots to anchor in and grow, it quickly dies out when scorched by the sun. We all need strong roots. Community helps us grow, to anchor into the ways of Christ in order for us to be flawed but faithful followers of the Resurrected One!
The road with Christ is hard. We will want to go off on our own from time to time. Pay attention. Pay attention to where God maybe at work. Pay attention to those around you, at home, neighborhood, work, etc. Stay tethered…to God and to one another.
Be open to being surprised. You never know when you will be called to do what needs to be done, humbly, sometimes quietly, and definitely, faithfully.
Blessings and Joy!
Humble over Hype!
Pastor Mark (Rev)
Copyright © 2026 Olympia First Baptist Church - All Rights Reserved.