“I would ask two questions. The first is, ‘How is that which is dead within me any different from anything else that God has raised from the dead?’ And the second question would be, ‘How is His passion to raise the dead within me any different than His passion to raise anything else that He has raised?’ And the answer to both is ‘It is not and it is not.’ So, am I ready to be raised or am I not?” ~ Craig D. Lounsbrough
Today, we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. That victory has been proclaimed for a couple thousand years now as it is the most important thing that has ever happened to and for God’s people. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just His personal victory over sin and death, it is ours as well.
No, we did not suffer, die, and rise as He did. However, it is also our victory because Jesus extended His victory to each and every one of us. If we are faithful to Him here on earth, we will be able to share in His resurrection. That is incredible love on His part and incredible joy for us.
So, what are we going to do about it? Are we going to embrace the hope and promise of Easter or will we be downcast thinking about our sin and unworthiness? Lounsbrough reminds us that God has a passion to raise all things from death to new life. Sometimes we think that our sin is too much for the Lord. We give up on ourselves and wallow spiritually. We believe ourselves to be unworthy of God’s love.
Perhaps that is because we are applying our own standards on ourselves. We can be very unloving and unforgiving in our own lives. If we are, it is easy to believe that we are unlovable and unforgiveable. Well, guess what. Easter is here. It is a vivid reminder to us that God does not deal in death. God deals in life.
Because of that, God’s people do not believe in death. We believe in eternal life. If we remain faithful to Him, we have no reason to fear. God desires to bring us home to Himself at the end of our lives here on earth. Nothing can defeat that promise. Jesus has proven Himself over sin and death and He can deliver eternal life to all of His people.
Count on that this day. Live that reality. Embrace the promise that comes to us from Jesus Christ. Saint Pope John Paul II had a unique way of reminding us of our heritage: “We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song!”
FAITH ACTION: Reflect upon the Lord’s resurrection and thank Him for the promise of eternal life.