Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

I never tire of hearing those words. I wonder if we would be better representatives of the resurrection if we chose to begin every time of worship, every funeral, every wedding, every midweek Lenten service, every Advent service, every Sunday morning worship service with those words. Do you think the words proclaiming the good news of the resurrection would lose some of their power or would we find ourselves more emboldened to tell the story with these words of resurrection reality emblazoned on our hearts and written into our bones? The first Sunday after Easter, the Sunday we always hear about the disciple Thomas, our Pastoral Intern Tony preached a sermon where he asked this question, “What does it mean to be resurrection people?”

He went on to tell us the following:

• Resurrection people do not feel the need to hide.
• Resurrection people do not dismiss their doubts but believe in spite of their doubts.
• Resurrection people don’t need to have it all figured out before coming to church.
• Resurrection people don’t need to have it all figured out before helping a neighbor.
• Resurrection people don’t need to have it all figured out before feeding someone who is hungry or caring for someone in need.

When I reread those words, I realized that every moment we walk in the footsteps of Jesus reminds us that we are resurrection people whether we proclaim, “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” with our lips or simply show our identity by following in the footsteps of the One we choose to follow. And yet I know there are times when it is easier to not follow our Savior out of the empty tomb. There are days it is easier to stay behind. Perhaps we do not believe we have the strength or the courage or the maturity of faith to trust God enough to leave the pain, the grief, the self-pity, the anger behind. In such moments, I return to the words Tony shared with us on April 8th. Tony writes:

“When I, like Thomas, am tempted to doubt the Easter message, I am reminded of the faces and the faithfulness of the people in this church. When musicians rehearse long hours; when meals are provided to those grieving the loss of a loved one; when refugees are welcomed; when a family cleans up the yard of a neighbor; when an invitation is spoken to a friend; when followers of Jesus pray and take a stand for the poor and the marginalized in our community; when a volunteer stays up late to prepare a BLAST lesson; when young people hear a word of blessing and affirmation spoken to them by adults; when people laugh and cry together over the joys and disappointments of their lives; when death is faced honestly and hopefully; when grace and mercy, not judgment and cruelty, direct our relationships, and when the church opens its heart and its doors to whoever comes longing for the love of God, excluding no one – I see signs of the resurrection. I see evidence that Easter has happened. I am convinced that Jesus is alive.”

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Thanks be to God! See you in church!

Pastor Chris

Reprinted from the May 2018 Ascension newsletter.