He is Risen

By Rev. Bob Bryan, Retired, former pastor of Followers of Christ Prison Ministry of the Nebraska Synod ELCA



All around Humble Texas, as an outreach of one of the local mega-churches, members’ homes proudly display yard signs declaring, “He is Risen!” My first thought in response, was, “So what does that practically mean to anyone?” Yes, I know in my head that Jesus died on the cross for our sin and rose from the dead to show defeat of sin, death, and the devil and, if we believe this we will be saved….but you can’t fit all that on a yard sign. 
Not only that, but if the knowledge of what Jesus has done for us doesn’t move from our head to practical application in our lives, what good is it? Hear it again….Jesus died for our sins when we didn’t deserve it! That is grace! We’ve been forgiven, the tomb was empty, He is risen! 
Still, what does this mean for everyday life? An experience of mine as pastor of Followers of Christ Prison Ministry and chaplain for Carey Dean Moore, executed in August 2017 for murdering Reuel Van Ness and Maynard Helgeland in 1982, showed me what grace and the risen Christ meant to him.  
Carey knew in his head the Bible verse by verse, he knew he was guilty and deserved to die, but more importantly, he knew in his heart that he was loved and forgiven in spite of what he had done!  He shared this Good News with me and volunteer Leona and hundreds of other people in correspondence from prison.  He lived the old Gospel hymn, Because He Lives, with the words, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone.” I accompanied Carey during his time on death watch with his family, immediately prior to his execution and was one of the witnesses. Because he knew in his heart that He is Risen, that he was graciously loved and forgiven, he was not afraid of facing death. 
Visitors would come for him weeping and he was the one consoling and reassuring them of God’s love and promises in store for him and all of us. Then, through the glass window of the execution chamber, we could see him mouth the words, “I love you” to his family.  There was no sign of anger or fear….just peace as he knew he would soon be with Jesus. His last words to the press were not for himself, but for several other men on Death Row who, unlike him, are innocent and do not deserve to die. He shared his written statement to the press with me (which unfortunately was not published), expressing his remorse and sorrow for what he had done to the victims’ families. 
Carey’s journey through the darkness of 38 years on death row and execution was lit by the light of the risen Christ, his personal experience of God’s undeserved love and forgiveness, and he shared this light and message of grace with whoever would listen. I pray that we all can do the same. 

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