Monday, April 2, 2012

Death at Easter?


Whoa, what’s wrong with this picture?
Death at Easter, indeed.
Aren’t you forgetting something, pal.
Easter is when He arose, not when He died.
Besides who wants to think about something so gloomy.
It’s Spring and, depending on how the weather cooperates,
You’ve got sunshine, beautiful blossoms, birds singing
And heck, you’ve even got the Easter bunny
What’s this nonsense about death at Easter, anyway
Death is so final, so morbid, so … well, real.
Exactly.
You see it occurred to me that you can’t really have a resurrection
Without someone or something dying first
Now those of us who profess to have faith
Or those wish that they did
Or even those who’d like to be able to believe in something or someone
Will buy in on some level that something happened that first Easter
People of faith, such as myself, believe that God simply raised Jesus from the dead
(Simple for God but far from simple for us)
Death is enemy numero uno and, as has been quoted endlessly --
“Nobody gets out of here alive”
But Jesus did – at least that’s how the story goes
And that’s also my story and I’m sticking to it
My story?
Well, yes, in a way.
You see, getting back to this death at Easter thing,
Dreams can die, hopes can die, faith can die
And like all things dead, they get buried
But they don’t have to stay dead
They can be brought back to life
Not by wishful thinking or sheer willpower or clever maneuvering
They can be made alive again by … (or you ready for this?)
The grace of God
The unfailing, unearned, totally free grace of God
The kind of grace that can restore that which is broken
Or heal wounds too deep too imagine
Or shine the light of forgiveness on a dark and troubled soul
Or raise a man from the dead
That’s right.
God’s been in business of resurrection for a long time
And He’s still at it.
Death at Easter – Merely a Prelude
But one we’d do well not too ignore
Because as Abbie Huff, minister and wise woman, declares
“Look to the Broken Places. If it’s resurrection and new life
you’re looking for, the broken places are where we start”
Amen and amen.

Happy Easter
George Gagliardi

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