Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
If you’ve been tuning in for our online worship services or reading my sermons in the mail each week, you know that I’ve been saying these words every Sunday during the season of Easter. This isn’t a verbal tic or religious repetition on my part. No, it’s an intentional reminder (to myself and to all of you) of the hope of Easter and the hope of our faith: if Christ has risen, then Christ is still risen. Indeed, we Christians don’t just celebrate this good news one day out of the year, but always. This is the gospel on which we take our stand and by which we are saved (1 Cor. 15:1-2).
This proclamation takes on new meaning and importance in the midst of our present predicament, doesn’t it? As I write this, we are entering week 7 of life amidst the coronavirus, which has affected us all, even in different ways. Some of us have been cut off from loved ones. Some have had major surgeries, events, or trips postponed. Many have lost jobs and are applying for unemployment. Students have had their classes moved online, teachers are working to create virtual lessons and videos, and preachers like this one are learning more about the wild world of YouTube than they ever would have wished.
We may be in different boats, but the storm rages around us all the same. And in the thick of it, what’s the good news? Christ is risen! And if Christ has risen, then Christ is still risen, and he is at work to calm the wind and the waves today and to lead us into a better tomorrow.
What does this look like, the inbreaking work of the risen Lord? I think it’s more evident than we might realize. Take note, for instance, of the many acts of redemption happening all around us: healthcare workers selflessly giving their time and talents to care for the sick; strangers sewing and sending masks to those who need them; deliverymen and women keeping our institutions going; musicians playing much-loved songs online for free. Pay attention to works of renewal in our homes, our church family, and throughout the community: phone tree check-ins; Bible studies over Zoom; small business support; driveway gift exchanges; prayers of the people. Read the God Moments from your fellow church members (https://bit.ly/2yh7hqq).
Let’s open our eyes and our hearts to the grace all around us. Let’s commit ourselves to living as agents of grace. And let’s give credit where credit is due — to the one who triumphed over death itself. That’s what it means for us to be an Easter people, y’all. Don’t ever forget it. Christ is risen!
Yours, Blake