When we were in Paris in 2003 the only museum we visited was the Musée d'Orsay, a grand old railroad station that has been converted into a wonderful museum for the works of the great artists of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. The vast open spaces of the building are a perfect gallery in which to exhibit the paintings of Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, and their contemporaries. As I was wandering through one of the smaller galleries, however, I came across a painting I had never seen before by Eugene Burnand (1850-1921), entitled "Les Disciples..."(The Disciples Running to the Tomb on Resurrection Morning). It was stunning. The artist depicts two disciples (Peter and the "disciple Jesus loved," I would say, if you follow the story in John's Gospel) on their way to the tomb on the first Easter morning after they have heard the news that the tomb is empty. As John tells the story, the Beloved Disciple reached the tomb first, and in the painting the younger man is slightly ahead of Peter as they hurry forward with excited anticipation. You have to know the story, of course, to understand what is going on in the painting. Burnand pictures the disciples simply in silhouette against a beautifully colored morning sky, their hair flying in back as they dash forward. The Beloved Disciple's hands are clenched in front of him and Peter is holding onto what appears to be some kind of covering draped over his left shoulder. The fabric billows behind him as they run ahead. The artist captures the energy of forward motion as the drama unfolds.
But the expression on the disciples' faces is what has etched the scene into my memory. It's a mixture of anticipation, wonderment, fear, curiosity, and hope--all the emotions I associate with Easter morning. The artist doesn't show the empty tomb. There is no image of a resurrection body. But, it seems to me, the painting really is "sermon" proclaiming the way human lives have been transformed by the resurrection of Jesus. I've heard it said that Easter really doesn't happen until it happens in us. The promise of Easter is that our daily living is now filled with the powerful presence of God through the spirit of Jesus. The challenge before us is to rush forward with the disciples to claim that promise for our own, and experience the good news of the resurrection.
I hope you will want to help us celebrate that promise on Easter Sunday, April 16. We will begin with a Sunrise Service at 6:00 a.m. That morning the sun is scheduled to rise at 6:05 a.m. and hopefully the sky will look like the one in the painting by Burnand. If not, we'll hold it in the sanctuary of our church. And, if you want to see a copy of that painting, you can find one online at http://www.repro-tableaux.com/art/tableaux/Eugene-Burnand/In-the-morning-of-the-resurrection-the-disciples-P-1015510.html
In God's peace,
Jamie Harrison
