Resurrection Today

Easter is primarily a celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. Rather like Christmas being a celebration of Jesus’ birth, however, do we stop to do more than recount the narratives telling us about Jesus' resurrection two millennia ago? Why does Jesus’ resurrection matter? How does it impact us? What do we do with it today?

We do well to understand just how life-shattering it was for the disciples to hear Jesus was alive. In one account, the women leave the empty tomb and say nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. In another, they tell the disciples, and Peter and John run to the tomb to check in out. One of them believes, the other is just in shock. We criticize Thomas for not believing the others who have told him of Jesus' eating with them. We overhear the disciples on their road to Emaus not understanding that Jesus was right there with them.

These bits of narration are important for much more than the history they impart. They show that were it not for the resurrection Christianity would have died out with Jesus that Sunday morning. In fact, it had already died. It had died right along with Jesus as the disciples’ struggled with their faith. They had not really grasped what Jesus had been telling them. They were not prepared for his death, though he had told them more than once it was coming. They had not understood Jesus would arise from the grave. They were at a loss to grapple with Jesus’ death before them.

It was only in the light of the resurrection that the disciples understood that Jesus as Messiah had in no means come to embody Israel’s desire for political and military victory over Rome. It was only with resurrection that the disciples understood they were to allow God’s Reign to live in them and through them without waiting for some other time or some other time. Resurrection shifted the Messianic hope from a political reality to a reality ignoring the limitations of politics. It shifted the reach of God’s Reign far beyond one nation. It empowered the disciples, the church, to go forward in the power of God’s Breath to bring new life into this world.

Sure, resurrection also indicates something of eternity and a heavenly realm in which we may be included. That was not the focus of the disciples, however. They were concerned with how they were to allow resurrection to change their immediate community. It took them from a ragged band of men hiding behind closed doors to becoming leaders of a community living out the principles of God’s Reign Jesus had been preaching. They shared their worldly goods with one another on the basis of need. They gathered in one another’s homes for encouragement, for growth, for fellowship, for study. They allowed their relationships to be transformed as they gave themselves over to God’s Reign here on earth.

Resurrection freed Jesus from the limitations of a single human body that could only be present in one location at a time. Resurrection welcomed God’s Breath onto and within the entire congregation of believers, empowering them to become ambassadors of God’s Reign. Resurrection empowered the church to take up our mission to represent God wherever we chance to be. Resurrection grants us the power to live and lean toward spiritual perfection. It demonstrates God’s ultimate victory over our greatest enemy and fear—death.

As God has overcome death in resurrection, I can be confident in God’s indwelling power that enables me to live as Christ taught. I am freed and empowered to love as God who gave himself on our behalf. I am freed to give even my very life, knowing that I am safe in God’s care.



— ©Copyright 2023, Christopher B. Harbin 



http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

False Accusations

Image
The religious community around Jesus had no kind words about sectors of society. They were certain Torah provided full justification for blanket condemnation of Samaritans, tax collectors, and a women caught in adultery and thrown at Jesus’ feet. Jesus embraced them with no condemnation. They were so sure Jesus was a threat. They were seeking any means of silencing him. They were not above false accusations or paying people to lie about Jesus’ supposed breaches of law. The accusations did not hold up to scrutiny. I’ve been to numerous drag shows at East Frank. I’ve been to drag story hour. I’ve developed relationships with many among the clientele at East Frank, with drag performers, with queer people around us, and others who support this community. I have also heard all sorts of accusations tossed out against them. None of the accusations stands up to scrutiny. I’ve seen videos merging clips from adult drag shows with scenes from East Frank. I’ve heard and s
Read more

Something More Important

Image
I was given a new title recently. It was not one I had ever expected to receive. I’ve had lots of titles over the years. I’ve been minister of music. I’ve been evangelism director. I’ve been Sunday school teacher. I’ve been summer missionary. I’ve been youth leader. I’ve been seminarian. I’ve been church planter. I’ve been pastor. I’ve been professor. I’ve been missionary. I’ve been guest lecturer. I’ve been interpreter. Over the years, I have been licensed to preach twice. I’ve been ordained. I’ve been commissioned six times. I’m currently in the process of having my ordination recognized by another denomination. While I have embraced those events setting me apart for Christian service, I can’t say any of those events quite measure up to the new title I was recently given. A couple of weeks ago, I was at a family-friendly drag show. It was not the first time. Since helping Union County, NC host its first Pride festival last year, I have been around a company of drag que
Read more

The Gospel Is Not Conservative

Image
Fundamentalism and conservativism are intrinsically averse to change. They are tied with conserving a status quo or moving back to a former era. They seek a safe place, a respite from change and transformation in the world around them. They are threatened by new ideas. They fear that the foundations on which they base their lives will be uprooted, causing their view of reality to fall apart. Growth depends on change. Life requires change. Survival depends on responding to changes in our environment. It requires new ideas. It requires new answers to old questions, as well as new questions with even newer answers. Jesus was by no means conservative. Jesus challenged the status quo. He fought against the groundwork of much of the religious thought around him, as well as the structures erected to empower its values. He called out those who benefited from social, religious, and political power. He demonstrated God's love, forgiveness and grace to those deemed una
Read more