Christ is risen indeed!

Hey y’all,

Somehow, it is late March and Easter is upon us! Admittedly, I have never considered Easter one of my favorite holidays, but each year I find that it is the one I need most. I need Jesus to get up. I need to be reminded and to see year after year that death does not get the last word. I need resurrection.

Many people over the course of my ministry have asked me if I really believe Jesus rose from the dead. They want to know if I really believe that early in the morning while it was still dark Jesus got up in body and in spirit and walked right on out of that tomb. And y’all know what? I do. Something that I wholeheartedly, unwaveringly believe is that Jesus rose from the dead in the exact same body he was crucified in. His body still had the marks on his hands and in his side. The same Jesus that was crucified is the Jesus that got up. Thanks be to God!

It matters that Jesus arose in body and in spirit. It matters that his body still had the scars of crucifixion. What happens to bodies here and now on this earth matters. Bodies matter.  The hope of resurrection gives us hope for resurrection in our own bodies, not just in the hereafter, but right now. We can practice and live into resurrection right here, right now. 

One of my favorite Easter poems is “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front” by Wendell Berry. He shows how to live into and practice resurrection right here, right now. I particularly love the last couple stanzas:

Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

Each year I feel we need resurrection more than the year before, but the reality is that we desperately need resurrection always. The Good News is that nothing can stop Jesus from getting up in body and in spirit and walking out of that tomb. 

Friends, this Easter, be joyful though you have considered all the facts and practice resurrection today and all days.

Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!

Peace,

Rev. Leigh