Resurrection Matters
Photo Courtesy of Lewis Center for Church Leadership
A surprising encounter with the divine
It was very early in the morning when Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, and the other women came to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body. They did not expect what they found. The stone was rolled away. Jesus’ body was not there. They were frightened as they found two divine messengers in gleaming white clothing who asked, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He isn’t here but has been raised. Don’t you remember he told you that he must be handed over to sinners, be crucified, and on the third day rise again” (Luke 24:5-7). And with that we are told the women remembered the words of Jesus. They went and told the disciples and others who were gathered, but they did not respond shouting, “Christ is Risen!”
Resurrection matters because in the midst of the empty tomb and the mystery of the resurrection, God overcomes the finality of death.
The apostles’ doubt
Luke’s gospel tells us that the apostles thought what the women had to say in the first ever Easter Sermon was nonsense, an idle tale. The first Easter sermon is reduced to nothing, nonsense. The apostles don’t believe it.
Peter runs to the tomb, sees it is empty other than the linen cloth, and he goes home wondering what happened. Having seen for himself, he still does not believe. He seems convinced that Jesus died, death has won. The women, on the other hand, remembered what Jesus told them. The women knew that resurrection was not a matter of nonsense, but of joyful faith. They understood that through the resurrection God was creating new ways of being in this world.
Trust the mystery of the empty tomb.
There is pain and suffering in the world today, just as there was when Jesus experienced the pain of the crucifixion. If the resurrection matters to us, then we know that even amid suffering, pain, and loss, we must trust in the mystery of the empty tomb. We must trust in the resurrection of Jesus, and we must look for signs of resurrection in the world around us
Even in the midst of suffering, pain, and loss, God is at work in our broken and hurting world. As those who follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we are called to be agents of change, healing, and good news.
Resurrection matters. Without it we would not gather for worship to proclaim “Christ is Risen!” Resurrection matters because in the midst of the empty tomb and the mystery of the resurrection, God overcomes the finality of death. God does something new. God brings forth new life.
The joy of proclaiming “Christ is Risen” in word and deed
Easter is not only a day, but a season for proclaiming “Christ is Risen” and joyfully singing alleluia. But there’s more to celebrating the resurrection than praying, singing, and joyfully proclaiming “Christ is Risen!” Mary and the other women who went to the tomb with her that morning understood this. They did not keep the matter of the resurrection to themselves. They went and shared the news with others. Now some thought what they were sharing was garbage, but we know that what they were sharing was not only life-changing, but world changing.
Our task at Easter is not simply to celebrate, but also to share. To proclaim that we believe resurrection matters. To share with others the impact our faith makes in our own lives and to help others to know in their heads and in their hearts that the resurrection matters. It matters not only for a season, but every day of our lives.
We are called to live our lives after the example of Jesus who preached, taught, healed, and loved, bringing people from the margins of society to the center.
May we proclaim, “Christ is Risen!” not only in the words we speak, but in the way we treat one another so that those we encounter may experience God’s transforming love through us. May we be open to resurrection not only in the world around us, but also in ourselves. So that God’s mysterious, powerful, and transformational work continues to make a difference in our broken and hurting world. Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen Indeed!
Related Resources
Resurrection as Call to Action by Ann A. Michel
- Should You Add Another Easter Worship Service? by Lovett Weems
- How a Creative Justice-Oriented Stations of the Cross Called a Community to Action by Jessica Anschutz
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Jessica Anschutz
Lewis Center Photo
The Rev. Dr. Jessica L. Anschutz is the Interim Director of the Lewis Center and co-editor of Leading Ideas. She teaches in the Doctor of Ministry program at Wesley Theological Seminary and is an elder in the New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Jessica participated in the Lewis Fellows program, the Lewis Center's leadership development program for young clergy. She is also the co-editor with Doug Powe of Healing Fractured Communities (Palmetto, 2024).