Resurrection Hope
With Karen Blake
Allow me to indulge my ‘inner melancholic’ for a moment to talk about death. A pretty bleak subject, you might say, but bear with me…
As we recently celebrated Easter and the hope of Jesus’ resurrection in our lives, how often do we stop to contemplate just how powerful that hope is? Resurrection hope is not about wearing some rose-tinted glasses; neither is it about having a positive mindset in order to turn a bad day into a slightly better day, or a less-than-ideal situation into a more manageable one. Jesus literally died.
Dead.
I’d say it’s fairly standard human nature to want to avoid painful experiences (I know I do!). In the western world, we’re often not very good at talking about or processing grief. But I’d like to propose that until we fully acknowledge that pain, that hurt, that loss, that disappointment in our lives, we will perhaps never quite fully realise and value the benefits of true healing, comfort, forgiveness and hope.
John 12:24 reminds us that unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a seed. The fruit, the harvest, the producing of the new and multiplying life can’t happen - it’s physically and biologically impossible! So until we experience the deepest loss of a dream or the letting go of our will, is it even possible to fully appreciate the miracle of resurrection hope? Without understanding the full reality of spiritual death, the contemplation of what we’ve been rescued from, can we even begin to fully embrace the joy of Jesus’ salvation?
So often, we focus on the positives of the Bible, the ‘Good News’ and the many promises etc. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with focusing on those things (and praise God we have the ultimate victory in Him!) but the Bible is also filled with so many paradoxes for us to think upon - for example, Matthew 10:39 (TPT) reminds us: “Those who cling to their lives will give up true life. But those who let go of their lives for my sake and surrender it all to me will discover true life!”
Likewise, one of my favourite Easter hymns (“When I Survey The Wondrous Cross” by Isaac Watts) beautifully pens just some of the paradoxes of our faith: Wondrous cross… richest gain and loss… sorrow and love… thorns and crown…
So, as much as Easter is a celebration of resurrection hope and new, eternal life, let’s all take some moments to indulge our ‘inner melancholic’ to remind ourselves of the harsh reality of what we’ve been rescued from and let that sink in, so that we can begin to fully experience gratitude for Jesus’ great demonstration of love for us and the resurrection hope that comes with it. In Him, we are truly…
Alive.
