Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

It’s Easter!  It’s Easter!  It’s finally Easter!  The long slog of Lent is finally over and we rest secure again in Christ’s promise of salvation.

But do we really rest secure?  “Of course, we do!” you say, “We’re sitting HERE, after all!”  But . . . really?  Do we really rest securely in our faith?  Even the greatest of saints were known to have doubts from time to time . . . to wrestle with God.  And NOW . . . today . . . so much seems to be changing in our world.  The ground seems to be shifting beneath us.  So many different people are writing and talking about this – politicians, theologians, corporate leaders – there’s so much uncertainty in the air.  Oh sure, we can go through our day-to-day lives pretty much the way we always have . . . but if we’re really honest with ourselves, I betcha we’d all have to admit that “somethin’s up.”  We can feel it, we can sense it, we can almost smell it in the air.  The problem is, we have no idea of what it is that’s comin’ our way.  Do we rest secure?  Not really.

It’s in times like these – when everything is pretty much as it’s always been, and yet we can sense that everything’s changing – it’s in times like these that our faith is especially important.  Christ does not promise that nothing will change . . . quite the opposite.  Christ promises that EVERYTHING will change.  Christ does not promise that the change will be easy . . . at times change can be quite painful.  But Christ DOES promise to be with us every step of the way.  AND Christ promises that ultimately the change will be for the better . . . for the infinitely better.  After all, God can do anything . . . God can even bring life out of death.  That’s what the resurrection teaches us.

But there we are again, back to my initial question to you:  Do we really rest secure in our faith?  The resurrection is such an extraordinary event . . . inconceivable, really . . . and yet it is the foundation of our faith.  And the Gospels don’t really help us, do they, as we ponder the astonishing miracle of the resurrection.  They all tell the story somewhat differently, which is not very helpful.  And the Jesus they describe is rather baffling:  is he some spiritual creature, rather like a ghost, or does he have a physical body?  It’s not clear from the Gospels.  On the one hand it seems that he can come and go at will, passing through locked doors and being in two places at once.  And on the other hand, he offers his body to be felt and touched; he eats breakfast with his friends.  It’s all very unsatisfying.

This is because, I think, the people telling the stories don’t really care how the resurrection actually occurred . . . they don’t care about what happened in that tomb.  Nor – as amazing as it may seem to us – do they really care about what the resurrected Jesus was like . . . they don’t care about what he looked like or about classifying what kind of creature he was . . . if he was a creature at all.  What they DO care about is what happens to the people who encounter the risen Lord.  Look at the stories again some time and see if you don’t come to agree with me.

The people who encounter the risen Lord are transformed . . . I almost said that they are resurrected themselves.  Of course, that is not literally true.  But the people who encounter the risen Lord are utterly changed . . . they come alive to something within them that they did not know was there before.  They have a taste of the Kingdom of God, and they take on new identities.  The disciples – those bumbling, cowardly, slow-witted disciples – become apostles:  powerful, fearless, inspired evangelists spreading the Good News of Christ throughout the world.  Perhaps the best example we have of this transformation is the apostle Paul.

Again, as on Good Friday, I’m relying for inspiration on the meditations that Martin Smith gave during our quiet day.  Do you remember who Paul was when we first hear of him?  He was named Saul and a member of the tribe of Benjamin.  He was born in Tarsus, which is on the southern coast of what we now call Turkey, and he was a Roman citizen – which was a very big deal in the ancient world.  He was brought up as a Pharisee and sent to Jerusalem to study with Gamā-liel.  It seems that Gamaliel was the president of the Great Sanhedrin, the highest court in Jerusalem, and a very great teacher.  In fact, Jewish tradition still regards Gamaliel as one of the greatest teachers in the history of Judaism.  From all this it’s probably safe to say that Saul – a Roman citizen, a Pharisee, a student of Gamaliel – was destined for great success in life.  He undoubtedly knew exactly who he was and exactly how the world worked.  Which may be how he could persecute the first followers of Christ with such confidence.

But on that road to Damascus, where Paul was going to continue his fight against the early Christians, he is struck down by a blinding light.  Paul himself has an encounter with the risen Lord.  And everything changes for him.  All of those credentials I listed just a few moments ago . . . all of the markers Paul used to describe himself . . . become meaningless.  He loses his identity . . . his very sense of self is taken from him.  Of course, this is what the Romans attempted to do to Jesus.  “Occupiers” torture those they oppress to erase them . . . to take their identities from them.  And Paul, losing his own identity in this encounter with Christ, comes to realize that he has been crucified WITH Christ.  Paul’s sense of self is taken from him.

BUT . . . taking it’s place is Paul’s sense of living in Christ . . . and Christ living in him.

An encounter with the Risen One is an encounter with the Risen One dwelling within.  I believe that this is what happened to all the people who encountered the risen Lord.  Encountering Christ, they come alive to something in them that they didn’t know was there before . . . they come alive to Christ dwelling within them.

In our baptism you and I were buried with Christ in his death.  By the water of baptism we also shared in Christ’s resurrection.  And through baptism we were reborn by the Holy Spirit and became living members of the Body of Christ in this world.  Christ dwells within us.  Just like St. Paul.  Just like the all the other apostles.  Really.  Truly.  We may forget or we may choose to ignore this truth . . . but truth it is.  And each time we participate in Holy Communion . . . each time we eat the bread of heaven and drink from the cup of salvation . . . we renew and strengthen our membership in Christ’s Body.  Each time we come to the altar rail is an opportunity to encounter the risen Lord and to come alive to Christ dwelling within us.  Each Communion is an opportunity for transformation.

Yes, everything may be shifting.  Unpredictable, perhaps unwanted change may be coming . . . to our world . . . to our lives.  The future may seem a little murky . . . a little unclear . . . but even if we reach a place where we no longer understand how the world works, and all the markers we use to identify ourselves are taken away . . . we CAN rest secure.  Christ is with us . . . behind, before, beside . . . all around us.  And even more, Christ is within us.  WHATEVER comes our way – both sorrow and joy – we can rest secure in Christ’s love.  We can rest secure in our identity as Christians – the Body of Christ – and TOGETHER we can face any challenge . . . sharing our sorrows, celebrating our joys.  Together.  The Body of Christ.

Alleluia! Alleluia!  Christ is Risen!

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