It Did Not Turn Out Like We Planned
I have been section hiking the Appalachian Trail since 2021. Previously, I spent ten years running ultra-marathon races and other 12 – 23-hour endurance events. John Lennon was known for saying that life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. This could not be truer of life in general and ultrarunning and section hiking specifically.
I remember the first section hike I took with my then 14-year-old daughter in 2021. It was supposed to be the “easiest” section of the Appalachian Trail, the 40-mile section from PennMar Park in Pennsylvania through the Maryland section and ending in Harper’s Ferry. For my daughter, it was anything but easy. Pennsylvania is known for its rocks and is lovingly referred to as Rocksylvania by runners and hikers alike. With my daughter’s small legs, the first 10 miles, around 6 of them were all rocky, she was spent. She also develops a habit of not eating or drinking when she is told, simply saying, “I am fine”. Needless to say, she was not fine and after 10 miles of what should have been a doable hike, she arrived at Ensign Cowall shelter, cold, tired and hangry. After this hike, she earned a new trail name, Snickers. I called our shuttle for a pick up the next morning. We would go back in 2022 and finish where we left off with lessons learned.
This has been the story of my own journey with the Appalchian trail. The learning curve from running to hiking has been incredibly steep and the last few hikes have been met with disaster, nothing really has gone like I planned – much like life.
Today, we encounter the disciples at the conclusion of what was anticipated to be a week of celebration, marked by Seder and Passover and infused with messianic expectations. Jesus continued the legacy of his cousin John, and there was enthusiasm surrounding the emergence of a movement led by Jesus that would address the perceived hypocrisy among Jewish officials and pose resistance to Roman rule. However, the disciples now find themselves reflecting, “Why did events not unfold as we had expected?”
This moment of despair produces a message characterized by intimacy, assurance, and hope. At the tomb, both the women and men within Jesus’ movement encounter, as we do every day, the presence of Jesus in times of difficulty.
Jesus Meets Us In Our Despair
Who here has been afraid before? I don’t get afraid very often and one of the things people ask me a lot about, hiking long distances or running in the woods for hours, is this “Aren’t you afraid of – insert – bears, cougars, bodily injury?” I’ll be honest with you, none of these things has ever been a problem. I will share one particularly memorable moment in my running career. It was 2017 or so, my family was vacationing in Maine and we were about three hours away from Mount Washington in New Hampshire, noted to have the worst weather in America and the highest peak on the East Coast at 6,288 feet. It was a perfect day when I got to the top of the mountain and that all changed when I got to the hostel about a mile down from the peak. Very quickly, I had three thunderstorms coming at me, one of which was dropping bolts so close that the air was full of static electricity. With nowhere to hide, you just have to hope for the best.
I want you to all imagine yourselves at the tomb, facing uncertainty and fear. We have all been to the funeral of a loved one, sick with grief, or maybe we have stood outside the place we worked for a bunch of years and now are laid off, fired or retired, lost, facing uncertainty and fearful of what we are going to do next. How do those words, “do not be afraid,” resonate with you now?
We must come to the understanding that fear is not always about the dangers we imagine; it can be about the uncertainty that we face. It is in these moments of panic and despair that we discover the quiet presence of Jesus, meeting us right where we are, offering comfort and hope when everything else seems to fall away.
Much like the disciples at the tomb, we face times when the outcome is not what we expected and our hearts are filled with questions and fear. Yet, the message is clear: “Do not be afraid.” Those words invite us to trust, to believe that God shows up in our panic and despair, bringing light to the darkest places and guiding us through uncertainty with love and reassurance.
Intimacy, Assurance, Hope
Friends, as we journey through the passages appointed for us this week, we’re drawn to a powerful theme that weaves its way through scripture and through our own lives—the presence of fear, but more so, the way God meets us with assurance, intimacy, and hope. In Jesus and in these sacred stories, we discover not only that God sees our fear, but that God responds—not with distance, but by drawing near to us, speaking words of comfort, inviting us to trust, and to hope.
A few weeks ago, we explored Ezekiel’s thoughts on hope—a hope that isn’t just a feeling, but a spiritual discipline, a practice that forms us when the path is lost and despair is close at hand. Hope, as I shared before, is a process of becoming. Some of us know what it is to have lost our way, to wonder if anything can change. But hear this: through these passages this week, the Spirit proclaims that from whatever valley we find ourselves in, life is still possible. That is the road of redemption we walk as followers of Jesus. That road isn’t meant only for us—it’s a road flung wide, a road of invitation, of inclusion for the whole world. When Ezekiel stood in that valley of dry bones, he didn’t clutch hope for himself. When asked, “Can these bones live?” he replied, “You know, Lord.” Sometimes the possibility is beyond what we can imagine, but with God, hope stubbornly remains.
And then we hear the words of Zephaniah (3:14-20) ringing out: “Sing… shout… rejoice!” Not because we’ve fixed everything, not because we’ve earned God’s favor, but because God has acted first. This is the grace of providence—God’s intervention when we are unable to rescue ourselves. Providence is not a reward for good behavior; it is grace that crashes through despair, that interrupts our endings with God’s new beginnings. God’s providence is revealed here as a joyful, restoring, fear-dispelling presence: God gathers us, heals us, delights in us. Can you feel the joy in that?
Finally, beloved, we return to the very first pages of scripture—Genesis 1:1-2:4a—where we witness God’s intimacy and intention in creation. Last week, I spoke of a more intimate God—the God the authors of Genesis knew as El Shaddai. Not a distant or indifferent deity, not a warrior God who disregards your struggles or joys, but a God whose very nature is nurturing and loving. This truth sings through the Psalms we hear in the Easter Vigil. Psalm 42:8 proclaims, “Day by day, the Lord commands His steadfast love; at night, His song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.” Psalm 136 echoes this refrain—God’s love endures forever. God creates the world out of love, and in love declares it good—good and very good. That is the intimacy we are invited to embrace: a God who creates, redeems, and sustains us in love, no matter where we find ourselves today.
Fine
In closing, “Be not afraid”—it’s going to be okay. Let us trust God and walk forward together, knowing that even when things don’t go as planned, hidden blessings can arise. Jesus’ words at the tomb remind us that faith is stronger than fear, and God’s presence brings comfort and hope. As we celebrate the resurrection, we boldly declare that compassion and love triumph over fear and despair, and God’s kingdom is alive among us.
The resurrected life leaves the past behind and moves forward with new hope and purpose. Together, we are called to overcome fear, break down barriers, and seek the presence of the Risen One in our lives and communities. Amen
Go now in the blessing of God, who meets death with life, hatred with love, and hopeless endings with abundant possibilities, to build a community of life, love, and flourishing as Easter people, followers of the Risen Christ! Amen.
Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, September 2025.
Anchor Verse: Matthew 28:1-10
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