“Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.” – Martin Luther
“Do not put a period where God has put a comma.” – Gracie Allen
Whenever we place resurrection as something that happens only after the end of this physical universe, we are robbing ourselves of the gift of resurrection. We stop being Easter people and become people of Judgment.
Judgment people await an afterlife to set things right. They deny themselves the goodness of this world. They may deny their own goodness. They stay in the darkness of Good Friday and the crucifixion, but do not know how to live fully in the power of the Resurrection of Easter. There is always a “first this or that must happen” or “first I must suffer through this” before they can truly enjoy the present.
Easter people know that, after a harsh and devastating winter, spring will come. They can enjoy the beauty of the present. They can find the goodness in others and embrace the goodness that is theirs. They know that joy and beauty are not earned by suffering, but that joy and beauty endure despite suffering.
We will go through times of darkness. This can be times when we have erred and need to seek forgiveness and/or change our ways. It can also be times when injustice is done and we need to take action. However, as Easter people, we will work through these times always with the sure faith that the dawn of a new day will come and spring will follow winter. As Martin Luther observed, the resurrection is part of nature everywhere.
Pastor Phil