Christ is Risen Again

So much is packed into the ancient Christian chant on Easter morning:

Christ is risen!

Christ is risen indeed!

Hallelujah!

It signifies hope and trust, belief and faith — but it does not emerge from the biblical stories of Easter morning. Those are shrouded in darkness, fear and disbelief.*

In Luke’s version, the women encounter angels in the empty tomb but they do not see Jesus and their report is ridiculed by doubting disciples. In John’s later version, Mary Magdalene does not recognize Jesus in his new spiritual form until he calls her by name. “Don’t hold onto me,” John writes, “but go and tell the disciples….” There was no promise of success. For the women, Jesus died and Christ arose in a new form, drawing his followers into a new reality of connection across social and ethnic lines. There is no triumphant proclamation in either text and suddenly their story is my story too. Where is the good news?

During Lent, I’ve been rereading Elizabeth O’Connor’s first book about Church of the Saviour, Call to Commitment (1963). I’m struck by the many ways early members experimented together in search of the living God. Led by Gordon’s commitment to follow Jesus, they claimed the living presence of Christ in community, took extraordinary risks and experienced some real miracles. Resilience grew with time and experience. Together, they broke racial barriers and began new ministries that became models for change. Christ was alive in them.

Today, the Easter story begins again in darkness, fear and disbelief. Destruction looms. Justice hangs by a thread. But we too are discovering that Christ is alive wherever two or three gather to do the next right thing. Hope and courage come as dawn breaks and we hear the simple call of being named and known. We are not alone. Together we will proclaim the news that Christ is risen indeed. Hallelujah!