Jesus is Going Ahead of You to Galilee

After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said.  Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, `He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you." So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." (Matthew 28:1-10)

Jesus promised to go ahead of his disciples to Galilee and be there when they arrived.  In our lives, Jesus will go ahead of us to our Galilee as well, to be waiting there for us when we arrive.

Jesus’ resurrection is about new life, about transformation and hope, not just for the people of his day but for all people for all time.  Jesus’ promise to go ahead of the disciples to Galilee applies to us as well, whatever our Galilee is.  As I reflect on the joy of the Resurrection and on Jesus going before us to Galilee I want to share with you the story of Christ Episcopal Church in Albertville, Alabama.  On April 24, 2010 a class three tornado struck Albertville and cut a three quarters of a mile swath through the town, including East Main Street where Christ Church is located.  The Nave and Sanctuary (worship space) were destroyed and thus began Christ Church’s journey from death to resurrection.

The people of Christ Church spent the past twelve months praying and talking and planning about and for their future.  In many ways this was a Galilee moment for Christ Church, and as we were promised in the Gospel from Matthew 28, Jesus was there ahead of Christ Church waiting for them.  On Easter Day, April 24, 2011, exactly one year after the storm destroyed the church, The Rt. Rev. Kee Sloan, Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama was at Christ Church to celebrate Easter with them and to break ground for their new Nave and Sanctuary.  Easter for Christ Church, Albertville this year was truly a time of resurrection, hope, renewal and transformation.

We all have our “Galilee moments” and I hope that we will all take a moment to share them with our friends as a part of our celebration of Jesus’ resurrection and of the hope that is within us. Thanks be to God for the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ and for his promise to go before us and be with us today, tomorrow and forever.

“The Lord is risen, he is risen indeed!”

Blessings and Peace,

Ben Alford

The Rev. Ben Alford is a retired Episcopal Priest living in Elmore County. He can be reached at benajr@aol.com.