I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20
Happy Easter Sunday!
He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
During the Holy week, we walk the path with Jesus as he was crucified and buried. But on Easter Sunday, Jesus’ resurrection changes the story of death and grief. His resurrection reminds us that death doesn’t have the final word and that new life is not only possible, but readily available to all of us.
The whole world watched as the Cathedral of Notre Dame burned this week. So many hearts were touched by the tragic fire and loss of large parts of the beloved cathedral. But a different image also circled the world after the fire was put out. This picture was of Paris firefighters looking into the doors of the cathedral where the light reflected a gleaming cross standing at the altar surrounded by the destruction and debris from the fire. It was a palpable reminder of God’s light and presence in the middle of brokenness and darkness, a perfect metaphor of the power of Jesus’ cross.
Jesus’s death on the cross and His resurrection are an invitation for us all to examine those parts of our own lives that we need to die to in order to have a new, more abundant life, to allow Christ’s victory to make us into a new creation. For me, the Lenten journey is all about examining what keeps me from being that new creation, dying to my own ego, so that I may open myself to the possibility of new life in Christ.
It is also about knowing that whatever type of death we may experience in our lives (the physical death of a loved one, the loss of a dream or a relationship), new life and healing are always possible and available through the healing power of the cross.
We have now come to the end of our Lenten journey of self-reflection, self-examination, and looking at different parts of our spiritual walk with God. We hope that these daily reflections have been as helpful to you to read as they have been for us to write and reflect upon.
We invite you to keep reading our weekly blogs as we continue working on being a new creation!