He is risen indeed!
Happy Easter! You may be thinking that was back in March, but for those of us who follow the liturgical year, we still are in the season of Easter, that beautiful time between Easter (Resurrection Sunday) and Pentecost where we celebrate new life for all of God's people, the continued fulfillment of the mission of a resurrected savior.
In churches that follow the liturgical calendar, we will be reading the stories of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances: Thomas, the road to Emmaus and the Great Commission. And it's in this season when we start to think about what the practical mode of living into the resurrection might look like.
You see, the resurrection of Jesus is more than historical fact -- it is a living belief! It's why we say on Easter, "Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed!" Living into a theology of resurrection suggests that death is conquered. No longer does death have the final say. A resurrection reality swims through the decay of death. Death is not just what happens when our body fails us and we pass from this world to the next.
My experience with friends deep in drug addiction shows me that a type of death can be experienced by anyone who has felt the ache of addiction and the startling realization of what giving in to that addiction leaves in its wake. Memories of death and decay are in the repeated nightmares of battle for a soldier with PTSD. Parts of Macon riddled with blight and crime can be called dead.
Sometimes we feel spiritually dead. Yet, we have a God who has conquered death. These deathly realities, both physical and mental, are overcome by the one we call Lord.
So, what does it mean for us today to not fear death? Part of it is realizing that it takes death for new life to emerge.
In the gospel of John, Jesus reminds us that we, like wheat, must metaphorically die to ourselves daily to gain life. It's a daily type of dying we are called to do, as we put to rest that which is not of God to allow time and space for the things of God to burst forth. A resurrection theology sees life where there once was death. It helps me look at a blighted neighborhood and see hope. A drug-addicted person with a theology of resurrection looks at themselves and sees the potential of their future as a contributing, healthy member of their community.
A resurrection theology searches under rocks and in our prisons for those forgotten and lost and whispers, "Another world is possible. Another life is possible." No one is beyond God's resurrection power, no matter who they are or what they've done.
This is my understanding of resurrection and it becomes the impetus for a resurrection-based ministry in my community where folks need the hope of a God who sees a future beyond the death and ruins they see now.
In several of the books of the Bible, God calls for resurrection. When the people of Israel were in exile, their holy city lay in ruins. Many in their town were taken away to Babylon. They had seen death and had felt the death of their way of life. And yet, God calls them to resurrect their lives and their city.
In the book of Isaiah, chapter 58, we read these words: "The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called repairer of broken walls, restorer of streets with dwellings."
May we, in the city of Macon, be bearers of the good news of the resurrection -- that all forms of death are conquered, that another world is possible, that through the resurrection, God lives and dwells with us still today.
The Rev. Stacey Harwell-Dye is minister of community building at Centenary United Methodist Church in Macon.
This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 9:07 PM with the headline "He is risen indeed! ."