You Will See Him In Galilee

In the Easter Gospel from St. Matthew, the angel tells the disciples that they will see the risen Jesus in Galilee. And if you read on in Matthew's Gospel you will come to the scene of the great commission which indeed takes place "on a mountain in Galilee." Yet Galilee is more than a mountain or a mountain-top experience. Galilee is where nearly all of Jesus' mission took place. It is in Galilee that Jesus taught in their synagogues, called his disciples, healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and preached his sermon on the mount. So perhaps the angel was also pointing them to that Galilee, that Galilee of mission, as the place where they would meet their risen Lord.

And I cannot help but wonder if this promise doesn't mean that we, too, will see Jesus when we are gathered and even dispersed as his people in mission. Surely he is among us in worship. In the waters of his font he reaches out to the baptized and makes them a part of his missional body the church; we are baptized to serve. And in the meal of bread and wine we share he is present – giving himself to us to strengthen us for our mission – giving us the words, the energy, the fresh start, the Good News that enables us to share what we have experienced.

But surely, it is also "out there," in the serving in our own little Galilees, that we will see Christ at work in us and through us each day. For Jesus, the Lord of the Church promises to go ahead of us, to be there with us and for us, to bring life to others.

On LutherLink some time ago, a pastor who had accepted a new call was in emotional turmoil about the impending transition from one congregation to another. As he was tucking his young daughter into bed, she asked him to sing Kum Ba Yah for her. When he finished she asked him if they could still sing Kum Ba Yah at their new home and would God still come by here? Here was a little girl who knew nothing of the call process or of her father's own anxiety, yet in her question and in her asking for the song, helped her father realize again that the Lord was in that place. In that moment, in that Galilee, he was encountered by the living Lord and he knew everything would be all right.

Jesus is there in all our Galilees, wherever we serve him and share his love – whether that be a little girl witnessing to her father, or someone delivering meals on wheels, or taking time for a confused teenager, or hearing someone's confession and praying with them, or helping someone through difficult economic times, or serving in a mission field, or just doing our best in order to give God glory – if we have the eyes of faith we will see Jesus is already there giving us opportunities, using us to bring others to LIFE and to an Easter faith.

So on this Glorious Easter, and throughout the coming year, cling to the Good News that the tomb is empty, that Jesus is Lord, and that you will see him in your ministry. For Christ is Risen; he is risen indeed. Alleluia!