“Alleluia He Is Risen!” “He Is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!”
Yes, the
celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord is soon upon us and once again our
church (along with Christian churches throughout the world) will ring with the
familiar and traditional greeting, “Alleluia! He Is Risen!” “He Is Risen
Indeed! Alleluia!” This Easter
greeting is so “traditional” that it has proved impossible to date and some
even argue that the Bible itself tells the story of its first use. (Mt. 27:64,
Mt. 28:6-7, Mk. 16:6, Lk. 24:6)
However it
began it’s words confess a remarkable truth and reality that go far beyond mere
tradition and custom. And to be
honest every Easter morning when we utter the phrase it makes me a little
uneasy, a little melancholy even a little put out. And it’s not simply because I don’t like getting up so early
(which I don’t) or because I’m weary of mere ritual (which I am). No, the real reason is because in all
my years as a pastor preaching on Easter morning I don’t think that I have ever
fully conveyed the true weight and gravitas of those words. In fact, it is usually all I can do to
keep myself from running up to people grabbing them by the shoulders and
shaking them while I howl in their face, “do you have any idea what you are
saying!?!?!?!?!?”
Because to
this day I still believe that if you asked the “average” Christian what the
resurrection of Jesus means they would answer, “It means I’ll go to heaven when
I die… oh and one day be resurrected too.” And while I absolutely believe every word of that it is
accurate I also know with absolute certainty that the Resurrection of Jesus
means so much more!
And I don’t
mean I “know it” as in “I’ve read lots of books and studied the Bible” so I
know it. I mean I’ve seen it, I’ve
experienced it. I’ve held it in my
hands, I’ve heard it on the lips of God’s people. I’ve watched it reach out and heal people.
Because the
Resurrection of Jesus doesn’t just mean that one day I’ll die and go to heaven,
it means that Jesus is actually resurrected. He is alive and present in our world. He is running around doing awesome,
wonderful and transcendent kinds of things. He is bringing his resurrection into this world. Healing it, restoring it, freeing it,
re-creating it. The resurrected
Lord is extending his liberation, reconciliation and peace. Jesus is risen, the “new earth” has
begun, Jesus is risen and his kingdom is spreading, Jesus is risen and is reign
is present EVERYWHERE.
Now don’t
get me wrong. It’s not always easy
to see this reality but it is in fact really there. You may watch the news or read on the Internet or hear about
it on social media and there before you is unspeakable suffering, injustice,
violence, brokenness and depravity.
But there you will also find the Risen Jesus; you will find him in the
lives of his people who dedicate their lives fighting for restoration, justice,
peace, healing and forgiveness.
I’ve seen it
countless times in my 17 years as pastor.
People dying from cancer, wasting away from the effects of sin and death
in this world even as they are being drowned in the peace and compassion of
those who love them. God’s people
who gather around the dying with the words of Jesus on their lips, his love and
compassion in a hug. His life and
forgiveness is his Supper.
I’ve seen
the Risen Christ work his healing in relationships that seemed so far beyond
repair that the only explanation is a miracle. I’ve seen the Risen Christ in the lives people who are true
agents of peace and reconciliation in their workplace. I’ve seen the Risen Christ bring
justice and healing into our local high school through the lives of his
youth. I’ve seen the Risen Christ
fight injustice and racism in our neighborhoods through the lives of widows and
soccer moms alike. I’ve seen the
Risen Christ living in the lives of his people.
1st
Corinthians 15 is one of the Bible’s most loved chapters on what the
resurrection means. Most of us
know by heart verses 56 and 57, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin
is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ.” Yet somehow we
often overlook the “so now what?” of Paul’s last verse, 58, “Therefore, my
beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
I’ve seen the Risen Christ in the
lives of his people as they remain steadfast, immovable and abounding in the
work of the Lord. I’ve seen the
Risen Christ heal, forgive and restore his people and I’ve seen the Holy Spirit
alive in the lives of those people making the Risen Jesus a reality in the
world around them.
And if I’ve seen all of that then I guess maybe God’s people know
exactly what they are saying when we proclaim…
“Alleluia He Is Risen!” “He Is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!”
