We have been journeying with our theme, Wandering Heart since the beginning of Lent and will carry this through until the Sunday after Easter. In this season we have been considering Jesus through the lens of the disciple Peter. When it comes to Easter, we might expect that, after denying Christ, Peter would cower in shame—or perhaps even run away in an attempt to leave his past behind him. Instead, when he hears the news from the women, he doesn’t dismiss them like the other disciples. He gets up and runs to the tomb.

When he peers into the empty tomb and sees the linen cloth, he is filled with awe. I wonder if even after the biggest failures in our lives, even after the worst-case scenario has happened, can we also run toward hope? Like Peter, will we keep going? Will we keep looking for God in our midst?

Peter shows us a “both/and” faith that persists even after mountain peaks and deep valleys. Peter walked on water. Peter drew his sword. Peter denied Christ three times. Peter was not there when Jesus died. And Peter ran to the tomb. Peter shows us that we can always begin again. We can add an “and” when we think our stories have come to an end. We can remember that hope is a central part of the Easter story. Like Peter, we live in wonder - for how belief in the God of resurrection truly can change the world.

Commentator Dr. Karoline Lewis writes that: “The resurrection only makes sense when we remain amazed, marvelling and wondering at the love of God that reversed death itself.” Our comprehension of the resurrection is not based on cerebral understanding, but on our ability to embrace awe and to let it transform us from the inside out. In what ways are you experiencing hope and resurrection this Easter? How might you be like Peter, “amazed at what had happened" (Luke 24:12)?