Living in the Awareness of the Resurrection
Every year, after the major holidays, I have a “crash” moment. The adrenaline of Holy Week and Christmas, and even other large work events, pass me by, and I am left, exhausted, grateful, and emotional in its wake. The first time, I was surprised. By now, I know to keep a little extra chocolate on hand and get extra sleep in those first few days after the “big day.” All is usually well pretty quickly.
On Easter Sunday, we read a Gospel that reflects that “crash moment,” pretty well. The empty tomb happens, and then things just… end. Crash, indeed. But Pastor Annette and I both mentioned that this should signal to us the ways that Jesus is showing up “out on the road,” ahead of the disciples. We are the evidence that the Gospel has continued, whether we’ve ever imagined ourselves that way or not.
What my body never really remembers after the big “crash” is that the truth of that big day is still true, even if the candy is gone and I’ve packed away my Easter dress. This is the gift, even in this moment of “crash” or no more Easter sugar: we are living in the light of the resurrected Christ! We are living in the light of a Jesus who goes ahead of us. We are living in the light of a Christ who has defeated death, even amid the darkness of our world. Easter is real! Jesus is alive! This is good news! The reliability of the “crash” cannot hold any weight when we remember that God is alive already in our world, and will continue to be!
Brennan Manning says,
“Living in the awareness of the risen Jesus is not a trivial pursuit for the bored and lonely or a defense mechanism enabling us to cope with the stress and sorrow of life. It is the key that unlocks the door to grasping the meaning of existence. All-day and every day we are being reshaped into the image of Christ. Everything that happens to us is designed to this end. Nothing that exists can exist beyond the pale of his presence, nothing is irrelevant to it, nothing is without significance in it.”
This Sunday in Worship we will explore how the Resurrection is the key to our discipleship. If we are an Easter people we should act like it, right? We should really, truly be God’s love to a world that desperately needs it. In John 20, the disciples truly begin to live the resurrection as they seek to understand Jesus’ appearance among them. They learn that God has risen, and can be trusted to lead them into the ministry that Jesus began in them. God has gone ahead of them and empowers them
I am grateful that the resurrection doesn’t depend on me and my adrenaline. I am also grateful that it is always waiting for me to join it, even after I’ve eaten all my Easter candy and taken a few extra naps.
May you feel inspired to join it, too.
Peace,
Pastor Allee
