Resurrection Now

The core doctrine of the Christian faith is resurrection. It is that single doctrine that sets us apart from all other communities of faith, adding something to the interfaith dialog that is uniquely our own. 

An issue, though, is that far too many followers of Christ do not comprehend the full import of this doctrine, unintentionally shortchanging it. We tend to see resurrection as something that happened to Christ, but we will only experience it sometime in the future, after we are dead and gone. We muddle it with going to heaven, becoming a denizen of the Communion of Saints, and thereby making it something more or less irrelevant to life right here and right now. 

So let’s revisit it and see another way of understanding it.

First, it is the core doctrine of our faith because Jesus of Nazareth truly becomes the Christ of God in resurrection. Jesus, wandering rabbi and miracle worker was not something new for the original audience. Other prophets, e.g., Elijah, were believed to have miraculous powers, even the power to make the dead breathe (cf. 1 Kings 17:17-24). Other teachers sought the radical reformation of the existing faith community, e.g., John the Baptist. Other prophets sought to instill engaged compassion as the centerpiece of faith the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--e.g., Jeremiah. No, what made Jesus unique was that after he was martyred, God raised him. In so doing, Jesus, although eternally the Son of God, fully embodied being the Son of God whose death was not just an example of self-emptying love, but became God’s own self-emptying to break the hold of sin and death over humanity, freeing us from all that separates us from God and one another, even death with its fearsome existential Abyss, robbing life of all its meaning (cf. Ecclesiastes). 

Second, that Christ was raised does bring hopefulness even into the presence of death. It is why we can stand at a graveside and not completely despair that our loved one’s life is ended, that that race is run, and that we will never again know their love, presence, or see any value at all in living life. Instead, resurrection says that there is life to come. God wills that life continue. It gives us the hope to face the utter chaos of human history, a story in which the central protagonists could well destroy themselves and the planet on which they live. In God, there is hope even in the face of such madness, for there will be another day. In madness, humanity murdered God’s Son; God overcame our madness, once and for all. We cannot thwart or change that. Thanks be to God!

But, now comes the part we tend to overlook--third, resurrection’s hope is present here and now. Resurrection is the assurance that there is no such thing as a last chance or a forever missed opportunity. There is always something more to come. Transformation and transcendence can come into any life at any moment.

As a former track and field athlete, I still follow the sport. There is a wonderful story of resurrection in its recent history. Lopez Lomong grew up a “lost boy” in the Sudan. He was a child soldier who witnessed untold horror and misery. He was rescued and brought to America at age 16 attaining citizenship in 2007. He has become an educated, articulate, fierce competitor whose life is now one of hope, grace, and peace. He was the flag bearer for the US team in the 2008 Olympics. 

That is resurrection.

Helen Keller’s story has captured imaginations for generations as she overcame being deaf and blind to become a beautiful representative of resurrection as she enjoyed a full, happy life as she was raised from her prison of confinement within herself, unable to communicate with the outside world until met with compassion that ended her life as it was, raising her to life as it could be. 

That is resurrection.

Far from being exceptional cases, these examples serve as reminders to see the daily occurrences of resurrection. 

-a man lost in the tangled web of alcoholism finds sobriety through AA,  

friendship, and love that will not let him go;

-a woman loses her job, her means of supporting her family, and her sense of 

identity, but finds another through the care and listening of a dear friend;

-a boy is hurt in an automobile accident, breaking his legs, but heals and mends, 

rejoining all the sports and outdoor adventures he loves;

-a girl endures bullying in Middle School that nearly drives her mad, but through

involved parents, teachers, and friends who are truly friends, recovers her sense

of well-being and place within the world.

Each of these are moments when God’s will to end the reign of suffering, bringing in a new creation where all suffering is eradicated comes to fruition. They are moments of resurrection. They are moments of indefatigable hope. They are moments of life as defined by God--moments when life embodies the self-emptying, other-centered love that is God. 

Now, the final thought is to know that resurrection is not simply a theological construct, an intellectual idea, or a tenet that sits dead on the page--it is a practice. As followers of Christ, we are to LIVE resurrection--we are to live in hope, bringing hope to our encounters with other people, to allow hope to lead us through each day, and to comfort us through the night. That means not giving up on someone, but rather prayerfully figuring our what is the best course of action to bring a new day. That means protecting oneself from despair by reminding oneself of Christ raised--there is hope in all things, remembering that even the death of Holy Saturday was broken through by God. It is allowing hope to be the first and last word in our presence within the world. 

Resurrection is the deepest expression of God’s compassion--God will not abandon us to non-being. Never. All shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.