ALLELUIA!!
ALLELUIA!!
ALLELUIA!!
That shout of joy has been passed on from the first disciples all the way to our parish today. Their great exclamation of praise is ours also. When Jesus passed through death to new life, he did not simply return to his
friends to make them happy. He began the new creation. In the first creation story in the Bible, the clay of earth became a living being by the breath of God. In the new creation, our human spirit is raised up to heaven. In wonder at this great and mysterious work of God, we too cry out, “PRAISED BE GOD.”
Our feet are still firmly planted on the earth, but our spirit is now called into God’s presence — every moment of every day. In a real way, Jesus’ death and resurrection changes us from survivors to lovers. God put more
into our lives than just getting by. God gave us the power to imagine and stretch beyond our limits. God gave us the power to know we are God’s people and to love each other no matter the cost.
The Easter celebration is not about history. It is about now and tomorrow. Easter is not a great miracle Jesus did for himself. It is about a door opening and power given. Jesus sets loose a new power on the earth. A
power that includes forgiveness, dedicated generosity, and a stubborn refusal to be less than God calls us to be. Easter is about victory — victory over sin and death — and the confidence and courage that victory brings.
That is something to be excited about. That is something to make a grateful heart burst with joy.
When Jesus appeared to his friends, having passed through locked doors, he was giving a sign. The sign was announcing that no barrier, neither fear nor oppression, nor any enemy has the final power to bind the human
spirit. Jesus promises the gift of freedom — freedom to live and love as a child of God.
Can you see it happening? Little by little? HAPPY EASTER