Eastertime - About the resurrection...

“The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.”
~ 1 Corinthians 15:42-44

It's the second morning since the resurrection of Jesus occurred.  By now the entire community is talking about this "man from Nazareth," "Mary's son," and the "man who rode in on a colt," who was chosen to be crucified and killed by the community and is now missing from his tomb.

Jesus has appeared to several folks by this time, and the disciples are starting to live with the fact that Jesus has been resurrected from the dead.

But one thing that they, and even us today, realize, is that the resurrection simply does not solve our problems.  It doesn't solve the issues we face each day, or eliminate our own dying and death.   

This actually makes me begin to wonder what exactly the Kingdom of God is all about, and how is the resurrection is bringing us closer to this place?

The disciples are still faced with daily struggles.  The happy ending to their journey has not appeared, nor is there still some "big surprise," ahead of them.  No, the resurrection is the expression of God's faithfulness to Jesus, and a demonstration of God's power.

In the resurrected Jesus, I still hear God assuring that Jesus is "beloved," and that the love of God is "everlasting."  

The greatest lesson is not that the resurrection solves everyone's problems.  No, the resurrection is the reminder that everything that belongs to God is everlasting unto eternity.  What belongs to God will never get lost. The resurrection doesn’t answer any of our curious questions about life after death, such as: What will heaven look like?  How will it be?  But it does reveal to us that, indeed, love is stronger than death.

One of the greatest things that the resurrection does teach us is that we are being asked to leave all our questions and experiences behind, and to simply trust.

Stay in God's grip!

G. Todd Williams (c) 2020