He is risen!

"Christ is risen!"

"He is risen indeed!"

That is a greeting used around the world in a multitude of languages and a variety of churches on Easter Sunday. It is the announcement that the angels made to those who came to finish caring for the body of Jesus early on that third day after he had been crucified and laid in a borrowed tomb. Expecting to find a lifeless body that needed to be more thoroughly prepared for its final resting place, they instead found a tomb that was wide open and empty, with only the linen cloths that they had wrapped the body of Jesus in lying there. Angels greeted them with a question, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, he is risen, just as he said!"

The bodily resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone of faith for those who follow him. His death on the cross paid the price for all that we have done wrong; his resurrection from the dead paved the way for us to live with him forever. By his resurrection, Jesus broke the power of death. We now can look forward to the day when we will have bodies that never get sick or die and when we will see him face to face.

The idea that Jesus literally came back to life and lives forever seems preposterous, perhaps, but it is something that we believe deeply. The song "He Lives" by Alfred Ackley puts it well (for the full lyrics and part of his story, see www.popularhymns.com):

He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today.
He walks with me and talks with me, whatever men may say.
He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart.
You ask me how I know he lives? He lives within my heart! 

I know that he is alive because of the lives and experiences of millions of others who follow Jesus, but most of all because of what he has done in my own life. There is no doubt for me that I follow a living God, not a dead spiritual leader. Following Jesus is not about a religious experience but about a vital relationship with him; though I cannot see him with my eyes, he is more real to me than the air I breathe. We have what we jokingly call the poor man's view of Mount Rainier; there are power poles and wires that interfere, but we can see it well enough on clear days. There are many days, however, when the clouds block our view, and you would never guess there is a 14,000 foot mountain out there. The mountain is no less there on the days when it is hidden, of course. In the same way, just because I cannot see God does not mean he is not still very much real and there. The evidence for God is not so much seen with our eyes but rather what is seen with our heart.

March 22, 2008