CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN … INDEED!! SO —— Now what???
All of the family celebrations, attending church services or hearing wonderful music—add up to nothing except just enjoying a happy day — UNLESS — each of us in our own lives commits to EMBODYING the RESURRECTION in 2022.
What???
Well — no matter what EXACTLY happened on that first Easter morning , it is certain that the incredible LOVE - ENERGY that Jesus shared during his lifetime did NOT die — but lived on through his disciples and all the people his life had touched…
He meant it when he said:
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing — and they will do even greater things than these... “ (John 14:12)
St. Teresa of Avila (1515 - 1582) put it this way:
“Christ has no body but yours No hands, no feet on earth but yours Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good
Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world YOU are his body … “
Oh, wow …
Someone once said that a better response to the ancient Easter greeting might be “He is Risen IMDEED” — not a typo, but an abbreviation for “In MY Deed”—an affirmation that I pledge to engrave that old phrase “What Would Jesus Do?” on my heart and on every single thing that I do. One of the most popular hymns of recent years is “HERE I AM, LORD.“ (click here to listen) written by Dan Schutte in 1979, the lyrics describe God promising to help the poor and the lame, asking — WHOM to send to bear God’s Light and Love???
The lyrics were originally written to describe the response of Jesus — but NOW — Jesus is counting on US to embody his life and provide our own answer. As you listen, why not sing the refrain as your 2022 Easter response to God’s call? “Here I am, Lord… is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night. I will go, Lord, if you lead me… I will hold your people in my heart.”