Living Into Resurrection

By Rev. Paula Lawhead 
Resurrection! It is the central promise given by our good God who formed us and breathed life into us.  It is the foundation of our hope – tied to our baptism into Christ.  It is the collective litany of the global Church in the season of Easter. “He is risen! He is risen indeed! Amen! Alleluia!”  And, truthfully, it is the echo that permeates every gathering of God’s people where the good news is shared – not just for a season of the year – but in every time and place.  New life has come for God’s beloved.  This is the truth we live into every day! 
Or do we? 
What does it actually look like to live into resurrection?

I served as pastor in a community devastated by twin tornadoes five years ago.  In the midst of the stark landscape literally stripped of all color, I saw resurrection.  Not immediately, mind you, but it was there.  Just as the first disciples did not know what to make of an empty tomb – or a risen Christ, for that matter – we do not know what to make of life after death.  In fact, I believe the biggest issue we have with resurrection is the very fact that it is always preceded by death.  
For my community, it was not just the deaths of two of God’s beloved children, but it was also the death of the perceived future for an entire community of people.  All that had been hoped and imagined for the future in that place was gone.  It was hard not to look around and wonder – what do we do now?  I can think of countless times in my life and the lives of those around me where we are brought, through various circumstances, to the place of asking that very question.  What now?  Where do we go from here?
Much like the disciples after the death of Jesus and their imagined future, we could try hiding away or trying to get back to where we were before.  But living into resurrection means it cannot look like it did before.  New life bears scars – or maybe even open wounds big enough to put a hand into.  To call out the litany, “He is risen! He is risen indeed!” is to acknowledge that indeed there is a way to live into resurrection.  It may not look like what we had before or what we had planned, but we can trust that if God has called us into it, there is life there.  New life.
I’ve watched as people walk into new life after the death of a loved one or a hard diagnoses or losses of so many kinds. And I’ve watched as a whole community has lived into the new life that a devastating storm brought them to. This new life I’ve witnessed is not a life of fear or resentment – though those things had their moments.  Rather, it is life where God’s redeeming work is seen and acknowledged – in neighbors caring for one another, spaces opened to welcome strangers, new vision for community being lived into, and joy – yes, joy – creeping in to lighten our hearts.  Ultimately, as we walk into the truth of God’s work in the midst of our daily lives, we can see that God is continuously bringing life and new life to all of his creation.  And with joy, we can live into that!
He is risen!  He is risen, indeed! Amen! Alleluia! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stories from Across the Synod

Image
 Three Rural Churches Doing Worship in a New Way   In response to the pandemic, the three congregations of Sonrise Parish (St. John’s, Eustis; American, Cozad; and St. John’s, Cozad) moved to video-only worship beginning on March 18, 2020.  Three months later, as warmer weather had arrived, the churches decided to do outdoor Word and Sacrament at each site on a weekly rotating basis, beginning at Eustis on June 14.  A weekly virtual brief worship recording was also continued!  The city street, parking lots, and grassy areas became the places to gather in lawn chairs or in cars in a physically-distanced manner.  A low-power FM transmitter broadcasted to those who wanted to stay in their vehicles.   A music group with percussion, guitar, horns, vocalists (and sometimes keyboard) led the services.  For sixteen weeks through the end of September the outdoor services continued, with attendance ranging from 50-60 to as high as over 100.  Two c...
Read more

150 Years of Mission & Ministry

Image
 By Bishop Brian Maas We have now formally kicked off the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Nebraska Synod. We’ll spend the next year reflecting on our shared history and inviting each congregation to reflect on its own history as well. We do this not to rediscover some glorious past to which we might return (we won’t—we can’t); rather, we study our histories because they remind us of our stories. Our story reaches back not only 150 years, but millennia, to the very origins of God’s people. The Bible is our story, every bit as much as our local histories. We reflect on that story so that we might continue to live that story; to see what chapters are yet to be written. This is the why behind the reflection and the history-telling; to remind ourselves of all of those times when God was present in spite of what seemed to be happening in the world—to see God at work in the joys and celebrations we’ve known, and to recognize God’s presence with us in the sorrow...
Read more

Arise! Wake up! Look around!

Image
By Deacon Connie R. Stover Director, Seeking the Spirit Within Today as I write this blog article, I cannot see the sun, and it is bitterly cold outside.   It looks like the sun has disappeared and abandoned me, as the sky is a dulling, gray slate of sameness.   I want to wrap myself in a warm, soft blanket and hibernate.   But alas, today is the deadline for this article to be written.   People are reaching out to me with their questions through phone calls, text messages and emails.   As I sit at my computer, I realize that I am hungry.   It is as if God is saying to me, “Arise!   Wake up!   Look around!” For me, God’s call to arise, wake up, and look around, comes each morning as I sit myself down in my sacred space to spend time with God.   This is a daily intention to first look to God for the gifts of light and warmth in all days – the gray days of routine sameness and the bright days of exciting newness.   If I ...
Read more