Easter is not only of time of exhilaration, but a time of acceleration.  As renewed and enlivened people of God, we are driven to accelerate the Good News of resurrection life.

Picture yourself driving through a work zone. You and the rest of the traffic are reduced to a slow crawl, bumper to bumper in one lane, grumbling a bit at this forced reduction of speed, but with the knowledge that it is for your safety and the safety of the construction crew.  You also know that this construction project will improve road conditions in the future…and so you grudgingly accept the slowdown.

But, finally, you arrive at the sign, “End Construction Zone.”  Two lanes are now open. You feel exhilarated and revel in your acceleration!  Vroom!   You’re off!  Exhilaration and acceleration!

“It is finally Easter!” Exhilaration and acceleration! It’s time to rejoice and rev up! But think back to the last six weeks. As a liturgical church we have rumbled along in low gear as if in a construction zone during the season of Lent and during the intense stories of Holy Week.  We have intentionally kept the RPM’s low – not wanting to race the engine of our liturgical pattern.  The left foot has been on the brake while the right foot has been pressing ever so slightly on the accelerator.  We know we are an Easter people, but during the season of Lent and during Holy Week, we purposely (and perhaps grudgingly) gear down to be more introspective, to listen to the rumblings of our spiritual engine, to slow the pace just enough to hear sounds and voices not possible when moving at warp speed.

Well, now it is Easter, the day we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord – and it’s time to lift our foot off the brake and put the pedal to the metal.  It’s time to affirm the internal combustion of spirit and power provided by an awesome God.  It’s time to hit the straightaway with the news, “He is risen!  He is risen, indeed!”

But, let’s back up a bit (no pun intended).  Let’s look at Matthew’s account of the resurrection and the combination of exhilaration and acceleration that took place at the tomb.

Paying their respects to their crucified loved one, the two Mary’s went to the tomb expecting to see the heavy stone sealing the entrance to the place where their beloved one lay. They expected to see the permanent residence of Jesus and the permanent victory of death.  This wasn’t a construction zone – an area that promised a new beginning.  This was a dead end.  But, suddenly the earth quaked, a messenger of the Lord rolled away the stone, sat on it, and basically terrified everyone, to which he said, “Do not be afraid!” followed by a detour into the tomb to verify that Jesus was not there.

It seemed a new path had been forged out of the tomb and was no longer a dead end. The angel confirmed the Jesus had taken a path that revealed new life – a path beyond the tomb.

Then came the commission, saying, “Go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead.’”   So, with exhilaration and a bit of fear, they accelerated into the fast lane, running to tell the disciples that the path to new life was open.

And on their way Jesus stopped them in their tracks. “Greetings!”  he said.  The sheer joy must have been overwhelming.  Screeching to a halt, they knelt, took hold of his feet and worshiped him.  What else could they do?  The dead simply do not rise.  Yet, here was Jesus.  And what’s more, Jesus commissioned them with the same message as the angel, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

So, off they went, ready to share the good news.  In their rush to tell the good news, they encountered good news.  And off they were again after he commissioned them to go and tell where Jesus would meet his brothers!  What a day!

The good news the women were commissioned to share was not something to keep to themselves.  Encountering Jesus was proof that death had been defeated.  It meant the weak, the marginalized, the persecuted, the fearful could place their hope in a person who had bulldozed through the roadblock of death. And this news couldn’t wait.

Since Jesus had opened the highway to life, time was of the essence when it came to living out the Good News and expecting to meet Jesus.  And where would that be?

Remember….just a couple chapters earlier in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is asked, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?  And when was it we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we say you sick or in prison and visited you?”

And the answer?  “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

What this says to us is that time is of essence to be the body of Christ for the body of Christ. The royal highway is open for all, not just for those who have the proper toll.

As Martin Luther King, Jr. says,

“Time itself is neutral; it can be used either destructively or constructively. More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will. We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of [people] willing to work to be co-workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation. We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.” ― Martin Luther King Jr., Why We Can’t Wait

In the verses that follow today’s reading, we hear that Jesus didn’t waste any time getting back to Galilee.  That was good news then as well as now.  The faith that Jesus will always be with us and meet us on the road is most assuring.  It is with confidence that we can accelerate in our mission and that the construction of the promised life with Jesus is complete.  That alone is reason for exaltation!

AMEN