Alleluia! Christ is risen!

Alleluia!  Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed.  Alleluia!

The cry of Christians the world over today as we celebrate the victory of life over death, the empty tomb, the risen Christ.  Today is the day when we remember most vividly God's promise of life, for each and every single one of us.

I decided before Lent that I was going to try to keep an eye out for signs of new life around me as part of my Lenten discipline.  Little did I know at that time that it would be one of the warmest and earliest springs on record, in both Wisconsin and Ohio.  As I kept watch for signs of life, I saw beautiful flowers and budding trees.  I saw birds and even caught some chickens that had escaped from their coop on a bright sunny day.  But the greatest gift of new life came on Good Friday with the birth of our nephew.  He is a wonderful reminder of life in the midst of death, of the promise of new life, and the miracle of new life.

As I've been pondering all of this new life, the thing that comes to mind for me is that, for Jesus, it's all about the body.  The Good Friday reading ends with the care of Jesus' body--they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with spices in linen cloths, according to the burial customs of the Jews (John 19:40).  Today, we hear of the empty tomb and the first appearance of the resurrected Christ.  And in the weeks to come, we'll hear the stories of Thomas and the breakfast on the beach and the promise of the Spirit with us, empowering us to be the body of Christ at work in the world.  It's all about the body--Christ's body, died and resurrected.  Christ's body--Christ's people--at work in the world.

It's pretty amazing, this promise of new life, isn't it?  It is all around us.  We see it perhaps most profoundly in this season of spring, but if we look closely, don't we see it every day?  In the sunrise and in mended relationships and in God's promise that life is victorious over death.  It's not always easy to see.  Darkness and death, violence, hunger, oppression; they all want us to think they get the final say.  But keep looking.  Today tells us that life is victorious.  God's promise of life will prevail.  Today is not the only day we see resurrection, though it is the day we celebrate it in the grandest way, with shouts of Alleluia, with flowers, and bells and trumpet sounds.  Keep watch tomorrow and the next day.  God's promise of life might be just as amazing then.  Because it is for every single day.  New life. For you and for me.

 Alleluia!  Christ is risen.  Christ is risen indeed.  Alleluia!




This video is a collection of some of the photos I took during this Lenten season.  The music is "Come and See" by Dakota Road, used by permission.  Enjoy!

A prayer for Easter
O God, you are the creator of the world, the liberator of your people, and the wisdom of the earth.  By the resurrection of your Son free us from our fears, restore us in your image, and ignite us with your light, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Alleluia!  Christ is risen!  Christ is risen indeed!  Alleluia!









[Prayer for Vigil of Easter from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Augsburg Fortress, 2006]