We live differently when we live in the Risen Lord of Heaven and Earth. We act differently. We speak differently. And it’s obvious to those around us. Things of this world don’t matter as much. The fact that Jesus is alive today guarantees that we will defeat death, too. And it changes everything. Everything.
“The Resurrection addresses those who insist on protection and security of the individual, institutions, and country. Such persons set up mechanisms of defense along economic, racial, and national lines.
In sharp contrast, the life of the Spirit, with its hope in the Resurrection, does not, indeed cannot dwell on preservation of the flesh — personhood, institutions, nations. Rather the corporate life of the Christian becomes one of risk. A Christian hospital can accept more welfare patients than economically advisable because it knows God’s love for the poor does not depend on its continued existence. Christians can call for total disarmament in the midst of a cold war because they know the future of the world does not depend on the survival of their nation. A Christian can risk his or her life because a Christian knows this life is not the end.” ~Graydon Snyder, 1992
A Christian church can take bolder risks in evangelizing its neighborhoods, bolder risks in giving to children’s homes and homeless shelters, bolder risks in denying self and sacrificing self knowing that the salvation of the world and the salvation of my soul is in the powerful and loving arms of the God who promises and delivers a Resurrection.
The Resurrection of Jesus is at the heart of every sermon preached in the New Testament. The reality of the Resurrection is the cornerstone and proof of the divine goodness of the Kingdom of God. The Apostles preached the Resurrection boldly and joyfully even at the cost of their very lives. The Resurrection of Jesus is so strong. It’s so powerful. It’s our hope. It’s our trumpet call. It’s the compelling force behind our Christian lives and the imperative push driving our Christian mission.
The Resurrection of Jesus is a big deal in the Bible. And it’s a big deal today.
If we embrace the Resurrection, if we claim the power of the Resurrection as our own, it will radically impact the way we live. When we understand that the glory of the Resurrection and eternal life with the Father is what awaits us after death, then we have no problem risking our lives or our well-being for the Gospel. We don’t think twice about our feelings or our fate, our reputation or status or power or popularity, when we invite people to church or talk to them about our Lord.
May our God overwhelm you today with the peace and grace that comes from our Risen Lord. And may he grant you the blessings of an eternal perspective grounded in the Resurrection.
Peace,
Allan
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