Risen

I just wrapped up a successful D.C. weekend with the family. We managed to catch the tail end of the cherry blossoms before an arctic freeze descended upon the city; explored Eastern Market; treated some of the Gang of 100 to dim sum at the one and only dim sum restaurant in "Chinatown"; learned my father is a card-holding member of the 24 fan club; bought sneakers; ate good food; laughed a lot; and took in the Easter Sunday service at the National Cathedral.

Funny things, these Easter Sundays. It's the highest and holiest of all Christian holidays, the true triumph of life over death, the culmination of 40 days of Lent (or in my case, 25 days of Lent because I couldn't decide what to give up), the day upon which the entire hope and faith of Christians rests, without which Christianity wouldn't even exist. At the National Cathedral, the sinners came out in droves, draped in glorious long fur coats, sporting decadent pastel colored hats and the finest sports coats this side of the Mississippi. As I watched people spill out of tour buses, I was reminded of my most recent pop quiz in accounting class.

Yes, I know; odd transition. But our quiz was about categorizing the various costs and expenses of a church, e.g. repairing the organ, counting the cash collected on Sundays, visiting the sick. In order to answer the questions, you had to decide what services or goods a church actually provides. Needless to say, there were many answers from around the room ... but it was intriguing to me that there didn't seem to be one right answer.

So, what does a church actually do? Rehabilitate sinners? Offer prayers and blessings? Provide a place to sleep meditate on Sundays? I suppose you'd find people who would tell you all of the above, but I have to disagree. What's hard about defining a church is that its purpose isn't necessarily tangible or concrete -- it's not about how many services it offers on a Sunday, the size of its congregation, the number of baptisms in a year, the frequency of "Amens" spoken during a sermon. The church peddles in love, mercy, peace, hope and forgiveness. That's hard to quantify ... especially since Christians are called to share these wares in the same manner that they were given to us -- free of cost -- to any and all who are willing to accept them, thanks to what happened on Easter Sunday so many years ago. These gifts have already been paid for and I hope that's at least part of the message that you received today.

It's a little confusing, I know. But as the Right Reverend said this morning, there are 50 or so other Sundays in the year during which you can learn more. I learn more everyday and there are certainly no signs that I've learned it all....

Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he is risen!