Yesterday was one of the most highly celebrated days in the Christian faith as it is understood to be the day when Jesus, previously dead from crucifixion on Friday, rose from the dead in one of the greatest miracles and testaments to God’s power ever seen in history. Whatever your theology or particular religious affiliation, the idea of someone being dead for days coming back to life is a mind-blowing one, and many people wrestle with whether this is even possible.
Yet, as inconceivable as this may seem, I think there’s another type of resurrection that takes place every day in our world. My pastor spoke about the fact that Jesus’ resurrection is about more than a bodily resurrection of someone who was biologically dead – it’s about bringing life to our everyday lives. I can say with a reasonable amount of assurance that every person alive has experienced some type of death in their lives, be it a job, a friend, a desire, a dream, a healthy heart or mind, etc. And many of us are living our lives unaware in a grieving process. We, like the women who went to the tomb to dress the body, have no expectation of life in that particular area, and we live our days as if the loss is a final thing. What Resurrection Sunday can help us to remember and realize is that even in death, there can be new life. We have to be open to the possibility of what is to come. Even if we are like the women who didn’t know but accepted readily, the disciples who heard and had some issues believing, or the religious leaders who heard and went into cover-up mode, trying to hide the truth, God has a way of bringing life to situations that we and others have labeled dead.
What in your life could use some resurrection? Could your heart use a rejuvenating jolt of love from the paddles of God? Does your mind need some reshaping and reinvigorating about bouts of depression or self-doubt have wreaked havoc? Maybe your peace has died and you have accepted chaos as your closest companion, or maybe you can’t find the strength to hope for more than what you have right now and you could use a boost in that area.
As my pastor read the scripture for his sermon this morning, one of the verses stood out to me, especially as it related to a song I’d heard on the way to church that morning. “Only You take my breath away, then You breathe new life into me, so breathe into me once again” (“Breathe into Me” by Israel and New Breed). “Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. ‘Receive the Holy Spirit,’ he said. ‘If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?’” Once God breathes life into us, it is up to us to breathe life into others. And the piece about forgiveness shows that this is connected to our life and our well-being. When we release someone from the grudge that we hold, that releases us from the hold on us, allowing us to breathe. When we can breathe, it brings life to us, and we can then breathe life to others. And the place that was held by an unforgiving attitude can now be resurrected and occupied by love.
Have the courage to receive and give new life. It can come in the most unexpected ways and be as simple as a new way of thinking about/seeing something. Just be open.
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