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! 

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