April 20, 2025 ~ EASTER
Drink from the Fountain of Grace ~ Rev. Beckie Sweet
As an older child, I came to appreciate the “contemporary” music of Richard Avery and Donald Marsh (Avery & Marsh). One of the songs I loved to sing went like this:
Every morning is Easter morning from now on.
Every day’s resurrection day, the past is over and gone.
Goodbye guilt, goodbye fear, good riddance!
Hello Lord, Hello sun!
I am one of the Easter People!
My new life has begun!
Every morning is Easter morning from now on.
Every day’s resurrection day, the past is over and gone.
The song, of course has a couple more verses, but I shared that one with you this morning because it reminds us that with the saving Grace of God through Jesus, the Christ, we are invited to put the past behind us, and live as Easter people each and every day.
During the past six weeks, as we have prepared our hearts and lives for the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, our worship theme has been “Drink from the Fountain of Grace.” We used scripture readings which highlighted CUPS as images as we learned more about God’s Fountain of Grace. The Broken Cup; The Cup of Living Water; The Cup We Choose; The Cup of Discipleship; The Cup of Compassion; The Cup of Humility; The Cup of the New Covenant; and so on. We are constantly being reminded that we are imperfect human beings in need of God’s Grace, and that through faith in Christ, the source of that grace will never be exhausted. It is the Cup that Never Runs Dry. But in order for us to understand that on this Easter morning, we need an illustration of what that Grace has looked like.
Well, by the year 2000, Judge John Phillips had long since lost count of the number of minors he had sent through the California penitentiary system for crimes committed during a troubled and violent adolescence. He said on one occasion, “You send these young people to prison, and they learn to become harder criminals.”
In 2003, he set out to find a better way—to get kids in an environment of support where they could pass through these difficult years with a hand on their shoulder. Phillips started Rancho Cielo in the town of Salinas, ironically using an old juvenile detention center.
Rancho Cielo has a wide variety of programs, many of which are hands-on and kinetic, from the carpentry and construction program and vintage car repair, to beekeeping and equestrian care. Experts and industry professionals frequent Rancho Cielo to share their knowledge; like Tom Forgette who teaches in the auto and diesel repair shop, and Laura Nicola, co-manager of the ranch restaurant, whose other job is at an award-winning restaurant.
“Upstairs,” traditional high school level classes are held for academic topics like writing and math, usually to prepare students for a GED or community college admission. This is paired with additional preparatory courses like resume and cover letter writing and interview skills.
17-year-old Omar Amezola said, “In my other school, it was all reading and writing. Here the teachers are more chill, you don’t have to stay in your seat all day, you can do things that are hands-on – it’s cool.”
Each year, 220 students attend Rancho Cielo. While some don’t make it, 84.8% of first-time offenders who enroll there never re-offend, compared to the 40% recidivism rate in the county. Even with all the tutoring, diversity, and infrastructure, it costs just $25,000 to put a kid through Rancho Cielo each year, compared to the $110,000 it costs to house them in prison.
Judge Phillips chose to grace these young people with Redemption over Incarceration. Through this redemptive grace, youth are offered hope, a new life, and a new beginning ~ just like those who put their faith in Christ!!
Every morning is Easter morning from now on!
Goodbye guild, goodbye fear, good riddance!
I am one of the Easter People, my new life has begun!
The Easter story is at the center of the Christian faith. In John’s gospel, we follow to the empty tomb three of Jesus’ disciples: Mary Magdalene, Simon Peter, and “the other disciple, whom Jesus loved.” Each disciple’s experience of the empty tomb and Jesus’ resurrection is different.
Mary goes to the tomb alone while it is still dark and finds it empty. Her first instinct is to run and tell Simon Peter and the beloved disciple. Simon Peter and the beloved disciple go to the tomb because Mary has told them Jesus’ body is missing. The beloved disciple arrives first but does not immediately go in. Simon Peter arrives second but goes right into the tomb. The beloved disciple follows, and at this point, both “see and believe.” But Mary has not yet entered. Verses 11-16 describe what it takes for Mary to understand what is happening here –that Jesus is alive. The turning point for Mary was hearing Jesus utter her name.
For each of these disciples, God meets them where they are and shows them that Jesus is alive in ways that is speak to them. And that pattern continues with other disciples in the reading that follow today’s text. The Living Jesus shows up for us in different ways, at different moments in time.
For us, those moments may have been when our proverbial cup was broken or when we were thirsty for Living Water. It may have been at a time of making a critical choice, a time of giving of ourselves with compassion, or when trying to follow Jesus in discipleship. It may have been when we learned the value of humility over pride, or when we made a covenant to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
When Jesus calls Mary by name, she finally recognizes him as her beloved “Rabbouni!” Immediately, Jesus tells Mary not to hold onto him because he has yet to ascend to the Creator. Jesus also sends Mary to spread the good news to the others. Like a flowing river or fountain, Jesus is alive and on the move – not an object to be possessed (or held onto), not simply a doctrine to be believed. Just as water flows, Jesus, our Living Water, moves and moves us with him! The response Jesus asks of Mary is to get moving and spread the good news.
And the saving faith that Jesus offers to those who believe in the resurrection, is not momentary. It is an eternal gift: forgiveness, reconciliation with God and each other, new life, eternal life.
For the youth who attend Rancho Ciero rather than going to a state penitentiary, they gain knowledge, trade skills, confidence, and opportunities which will sustain their living on into the future.
Today, we are invited to fill our spiritual cups through worshiping God, who in Christ Jesus meets us right where we are, loves us despite our past failures, and desires for us to follow Jesus in order to learn how to live LIFE abundantly.
What particular area of your life is in need of God’s living grace today? Is Jesus calling you to follow, or to go and share the good news? How will you offer to others the kind of grace you have received from God? What would the world be like if, rather than harboring resentment and sowing discord and division, we all lived grace-filled and grace-giving lives?
May we go forth to show others that the resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, matters to us. It matters not only for a day or for a season, but every day of our lives. May our lives be transformed by faith, that we might be instruments of God’s loving and healing in a broken world.
Every morning is Easter morning from now on.
Every morning is Easter morning from now on.
Every morning is Easter morning. Every morning is Easter morning!
Amen.