Easter Sunday
April 20, 2025
Acts 10:34-43 | Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 |1 Corinthians 15:19-26 | John 20:1-18
Easter Sunday Lent Devotion
by Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon
Joyful in Hope
I wrote this devotional a few weeks into Phase 1 of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas… not knowing that the ceasefire would not hold and the continued horrors that would follow.
Peace in the Middle East hangs by a thread.
Oh, how we desperately need the GOOD NEWS of this Easter Sunday! We need to be reminded that death and violence are not the end of the story and do not win the day. The world – including the United States and the Middle East – most needs the message of Easter in these challenging moments.
On the morning of the resurrection, the disciples and followers of Jesus must have been overcome with sorrow and despair – only a couple of days before, Christ had been crucified in the humiliation of the cross. Instead of triumphing over death, he cried out saying to God: “Why, oh why, have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)
Imagine the surprise of the women when they went to the tomb and found it empty. The man at the tomb informed them, “Do not be afraid! … The man you are looking for, Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here.” (Mark 16:6). Imagine the surprise of the disciples when the women returned and told them the news.
These days, after more than a year of war in the Middle East, with such uncertainty and discord here in the United States, we need to hear some surprisingly Good News!
The Resurrection Story reminds us that whatever we see in the immediate moment does not contain the whole picture. Rather, God’s purposes prevail and overcome the darkness and evil in the world.
“The light shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)
This past year I saw glimpses of “light shining in darkness” as we sought and diligently called for a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire to end the bombardment of Gaza and the ongoing atrocities there. The horrors of October 7, 2023 and the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Gaza wrought overwhelming trauma and atrocities. As we sought a permanent end to all violence and daily called for the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners held unjustly, there was so much bad news coming out of Gaza each and every day!
In January 2024, in Jerusalem, I had the privilege to launch the global movement called Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimages alongside an international team and a group of Palestinians. Honestly, we had no idea if anyone would respond to the call to walk the distance of Gaza in prayer as a means of calling awareness to the realities on the ground and advocating for just and lasting solutions to the decades of occupation and oppression. Our hope was that maybe a few communities would host a Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage.
Months later, I wept alongside other organizers as we learned of the thousands and thousands of people who walked together, side by side with Christians and with people of other faith traditions, including Jews and Muslims, and called for an end to the war and violence. The atrocities in Gaza demanded the world’s attention. At the time of this writing, the ethnic cleansing of Gaza has resulted in the deaths of more than 47,000 Palestinians and was called by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) “probable genocide.”
Not only did numerous groups in the United States and around the world take up the mantle of the Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimages, but there were walks in all seven continents and in more than twenty countries around the world. The walk in Cape Town, South Africa included people side-by-side for more than a mile. Catholic nuns, unable to walk next to sisters in their community who were walking a mile a day during Lent on behalf of Gaza, prayed in their minds during the time it would take to walk each mile – still traveling in their minds for peace, even when their bodies were unable to make the journey. The world coming together in this small way was a glimpse of “resurrection living” and holding onto hope when it seemed like war, violence, death, and destruction prevailed.
He is Risen! This Good News teaches us the faithfulness of God – and also reminds us to continue to have hope for the world – towards Gaza, all of Palestine, Israel, and the Middle East. The verses that come to mind are from the chapter that I have carried with me since October 7, 2023: Romans, Chapter 12. Verses 10-12 say this:
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:10-12)
Christ showed us the greatest love by carrying the sins of the world on the cross. His death and resurrection remind us to have hope! As the current ceasefire between Hamas and Israel hangs on by a thread, we will zealously and diligently continue to pursue justice and peace. May our efforts be compelled by love, joyful in hope, patient in our challenges, and faithful in our prayers as we continue in our efforts.
Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon is the executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). Cannon formerly served as the senior director of Advocacy and Outreach for World Vision U.S. on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC; as a consultant to the Middle East for child advocacy issues for Compassion International in Jerusalem; as the executive pastor of Hillside Covenant Church located in Walnut Creek, California; and as director of development and transformation for extension ministries at Willow Creek Community Church in Barrington, Illinois. Cannon holds an MDiv from North Park Theological Seminary, an MBA from North Park University’s School of Business and Nonprofit Management, and an MA in bioethics from Trinity International University. She received her first doctorate in American History with a minor in Middle Eastern studies at the University of California (Davis) focusing on the history of the American Protestant church in Israel and Palestine and her second doctorate in Ministry in Spiritual Formation from Northern Theological Seminary. She is the author of several books including the award-winning Social Justice Handbook: Small Steps for a Better World and editor of A Land Full of God: Christian Perspectives on the Holy Land.
To read the previous devotional click here: https://cmep.salsalabs.org/lentholysaturday
A printable PDF of all of this year’s Lent devotionals are available for download and printing HERE
These devotions were written early Spring 2025 and may contain figures and events that have changed at the time of reading.