The Big Picture: Consecration–Act Two

by

Practicing Faith

Oboedire | April 4, 2026

Consecration begins with renunciation [1] It is completed in blessedness. With our souls emptied of the things that hinder holiness, we have room for the things that promote it: righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Dying to sin, we rise with Christ. In the liturgical year, we move into act-two consecration tomorrow on Easter Sunday, and we will stay in it until the end of the season of Pentecost.

It is right that the way of blessedness takes us into life and away from death. “Abundant living” is the two-word phrase that make this clear. Easter Sunday is the day we declare that Christ is risen,  and that we find our life as God intends in him. The stone was not only rolled away from his tomb but ours as well.

As with renunciation, blessedness is an act of the will. We choose life. The stone is rolled away but we must shed the grave clothes (renunciation) and walk out of the tomb into the Light of a new day. And then, as John wrote, we spend the rest of our days walking in the light (1 John 1;7). While all seasons of the Christian year describe big-picture aspects of the spiritual life, it is important to note that the Easter/Pentecost seasons occupy the largest segment of the Story.

Easter is the day we remember that Jesus is the Gospel. [2] We then spend the rest of the liturgical year developing the details encompassed in the words, “in him we live, move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Life in Christ is the three-word summary of it. [3] We follow him as the Way, Truth, and Life—becoming increasingly conformed to his likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18). [4]

Consecration is the big-picture way of describing our two-act journey from renunciation to blessedness. Today we pivot from the past six weeks of the former experience into the coming weeks of the latter one. Christ is the emancipator (Galatians 5:1) so that we can move from one act to the other. On Easter we declare this in our exclamation, “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!”

[1] The act-one post about this was on February 14th

[2] Henri Nouwen, Jesus: A Gospel

[3] Steve Harper, Life in Christ

The Rev. Dr. Steve Harper is retired seminary professor who taught for 32 years in the disciplines of Spiritual Formation and Wesley Studies. Author and co-author of more than fifty books.. He is also a retired Elder in The Florida Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church.