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| The Three Marys at the Tomb, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1890, France |
The refrain of Christians across the globe, across the centuries, on Easter morning:
"The Lord is risen." "He is risen indeed."
What does it mean? How do we explain it?
I haven't had much time to write lately, still deep in the work of Fair Districts PA, but spent time this weekend reminding myself of what matters most, what's most true, what will remain long after our current work is done.
It's interesting to read back over posts I've written. Feel free to browse or linger:
A series on resurrection: 2012
- Risen Indeed: The Hermaneutic Community
- The Great Reversal: A Resurrection People
- Earth Day Shalom: Ripples of Resurrection
- Resurrection Challenge: Feed My Sheep
- Resurrection Laughter
- Resurrection Women
Where Is Newness Needed? March 13, 2013
Saying Yes to the Risen Christ, April 20, 2014
Resurrection Sunday: Exuberant Reversal, April 5, 2015
Is the Resurrection Just a Myth?, April 12, 2015
Resurrection, the Great Reversal, April 1, 2018Saying Yes to the Risen Christ, April 20, 2014
Resurrection Sunday: Exuberant Reversal, April 5, 2015
Is the Resurrection Just a Myth?, April 12, 2015
First-fruits of the Kingdom, April 20, 2025
Risen: April 4, 2021: thoughts on death and resurrection during the days of Covid
Reading back over those earlier posts, I'm struck by the very first I wrote, one of the most personal.
- If Only, Apr 10, 2011Jesus, there in the dusty road inN. T. Wright, in The Resurrection of the Son of God, says “When Jesus says ‘I am the resurrection and the life,’ he opens up several layers of redefinition: a new life through which new possibilities are available in the present. The ‘life of the age to come’ is brought forward into the present, so that believers can enjoy it already . . .”Walter Bruggeman in The Prophetic Imagination talks about Jesus’ teaching, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” He says “The energy of this blessing word comes in the reality that God has alternative futures, that he is free to bestow them, and that futures are not derived from or determined by the present.” . . .
Jesus said "I am resurrection and life." New life breathes through the brown patches of this present reality; resurrection sings while we weep, surrounded by death. The future is not determined by the present. Weeping with us, Jesus says, "Come out. Take the grave clothes off." God has alternative futures, and he is free to bestow them. . . Hallelujah."
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| Icon of the Resurrection of Christ |
For something new (and not by me!): in the April 1, 2026 episode of The Russell Moore Show: Everything Depends on an Empty Tomb, Moore shares parts of six past episodes.
- Frances Collins: physician/geneticist noted for his leadership of the Human Genome project
- Michael Wear: strategist and speaker at the intersection of faith and politics
- David Taylor: theologian and professor at Fuller Seminary
- Christian Wiman: poet
- Kate Bowler: associate professor of American religious history at Duke University
- Tim Keller: founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York Cit
Across stories of cancer diagnoses, intellectual conversions, poetic insight, and quiet moments of joy, the episode insists on a central truth: the resurrection is not metaphor. And if it happened, then even in grief, uncertainty, and death—everything is going to be okay.
