02.16.24

SPOILER ALERT: RESURRECTION

We are a few days into Lent, the season prior to Holy Week and Easter; a time for reflection and preparation as we journey towards Jerusalem and the cross. And yes, I know that many of you hide your eye rolls (with varying degrees of success) at the idea of “preparing” once again for a holiday we know is coming, for the tomb we know will be empty. But hear me out…

Some traditions lean so heavily into Lent being a time of exile that they avoid certain practices. Not just changing dietary habits or giving something up, but stark changes in worship such as not using the celebratory, victorious expression “Alleluia” for the season, speaking of Christ as risen, or resurrection at all.

That may seem extreme to some of you, not least if you’ve been United Methodist for long. Our practice sometimes calls each Sunday a “little Easter”, and most don’t avoid that connection through this season. But being the liturgical nerd that I am, I have to say: Lent is where I long more for the exile as a part of the journey.

So, imagine my surprise when, a little over a month ago, I order Bishop Tom Berlin’s new book on Lent at the recommendation of some colleagues who were considering using it. Imagine my surprise when his Lenten study is all about resurrection! Resurrection… during Lent! Cue the meme:

But here’s the thing… it’s good. I mean, the book is good, and resurrection is good. It’s all good. So it took me about a week or so of discomfort to embrace the study, to feel that a “Living the Resurrection” Lenten worship series was going to be amazing. Because one thing I like more than leaning into some good ol’ liturgy is talking about resurrection. And especially resurrection being lived out here and now.

Resurrection is not simply something that happened once and that will happen for those who believe in Jesus when we die. The death and resurrection of Jesus is nothing less than God’s victory over the powers and principalities of the world, the greatest of which was death; even that has now lost its sting (1 Corinthians 15.55-57). This is how God chose to overcome evil in the world, and because of that we receive through God’s grace not only the promise of our own resurrection, but the power of grace speaking to our own struggles with evil and suffering. Resurrection doesn’t only teach us about life after death, it speaks God’s power to the brokenness of our lives. It’s the promise that God can heal a struggling marriage, and the promise that there can be life and love following divorce. Resurrection is the grace that overwhelms the shame of the addict, and is the intimate and knowing love present with those suffering loss. Resurrection is power over more than death, it is an embodied hope that proves God’s love and power for us here and now.

That is what we will explore together this Lenten season. And you know what: I think that’s a great way to prepare to experience resurrection in new and life-changing ways when we step up to the empty tomb once again this Easter. So I hope you’ll join us for worship, join us in reading The Third Day: Living the Resurrection* through Lent, and other opportunities SMC will offer to invite you to consider, reflect, and yes, prepare, to experience resurrection here and now.

May grace, peace, and even alleluias abound.

Rev. Ben Richards

*Books can be ordered on your own or purchased at SMC before and after worship, or are available for free if that would be helpful for you. Just let me know.