practicing the resurrection
"That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection.”
Philippians 3:10
“In many respects, I find an unresurrected Jesus easier to accept. Easter makes Him dangerous. Because of Easter, I have to listen to His extravagant claims and can no longer pick and choose from His sayings. Moreover, Easter means He must be loose out there somewhere.”
Philip Yancey
At this time of the year, the wonder of Easter is far behind us.
Most churches are well into their summer sermon series, and most believers are seeking respite in the summer months from the unsustainable pace kept in other seasons. The resurrection we celebrated months ago seems to have faded into the background.
We know Christ is risen from the dead, that we have eternal life, and that God is moving in the world through His Spirit, but we somehow settle back into life as normal. The burdens and boredom relegate the resurrection to a special, not regular part of our lives.
Why does this keep happening? A dead man rising again in the middle of human history to redeem us all should have a more lasting effect on us than that.
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In his book, Living the Resurrection, Eugene Peterson notes, “The resurrection of Jesus is the action at the core of all Christian spiritual formation.” Easter is not some peripheral event; it’s the central event of every day of every year of the Christian life. Peterson goes on to argue that we are called to practice the resurrection. Not in the sense that we try or audition to do life in a world where Jesus is alive, but in the sense that we live in partnership with Him and live from that life in all we do. He says…
“The resurrection life is a practice. It's not something we practice like practicing musical scales or practicing our golf swing. It is practice in the more inclusive sense in which we say a physician has a practice, work that defines both his or her character and work day.”
Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:5-6 that "God made us alive together with Christ, and raised us up with him and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
Jesus wasn’t just raised for us, we are raised with Him. If we are united with Him, that resurrection life is ours.
When we believe that Jesus is alive, anything is possible.
When we believe Jesus is alive, the kingdom of God is available.
When we believe Jesus is alive, new creation is inevitable.
I wonder how life would be different if we began to practice resurrection each day, instead of celebrating it once a year.
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In the spring of 1799, during the Napoleonic Wars, the small Austrian town of Feldkirch stood on the brink of disaster. Nestled near the border of Switzerland and Austria, Feldkirch was of strategic importance. Word had spread rapidly among the townspeople that Napoleon Bonaparte's forces, having swept across much of Europe, were now ready to descend on their peaceful valley. His troops had been spotted on the surrounding hills, and fear swept through the community.
The town leaders, stunned by the prospect of facing Napoleon’s battle-hardened army, arranged an emergency council. Could they mount any sort of defense? They had neither the manpower nor the military resources. Should they resist, beg for mercy, or raise the white flag in defeat?
That day, however, was not just any day, it was Easter Sunday.
Easter is the day we Christians declare the resurrection of Jesus Christ, His triumph of life over death and hope over despair. The local Lutheran pastor, a humble and godly man known for his conviction and faith, stood before the frightened council and addressed them:
“Friends,” he said, “we have been relying on our own strength, and it has brought us fear and uncertainty. But today is the day of our Lord’s resurrection. It is a day of victory. Let us do what we would do on any Easter Sunday. Let us ring the church bells, hold our worship services as usual, and place the fate of our town in God's hands. We know our weakness, but not His power to deliver.”
Despite the imminent threat, the council agreed. That morning, as the sun rose over the Alps, the church bells of Feldkirch rang out joyfully, sounding through the valley.
To the French forces stationed on the heights above the town, the sound was unexpected and disorienting. They had anticipated a frightened village ready to surrender. But the defiant bells suggested something else entirely: reinforcements must have arrived during the night, perhaps a detachment of the Austrian Imperial Army.
Believing they had lost the element of surprise and would now face stiff resistance, the French generals ordered a retreat. By the time the worship service had concluded, the enemy forces had broken camp and vanished from the hills.
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Satan is playing an intimidation game with us all. He wants us to believe that we are powerless and left to deal with our sin and brokenness on our own. But when we begin to live out of the resurrection power within us, begin to practiceresurrection as a way of life, we can see the work of God within us begin to move through us, bringing life and hope through the challenges and heartache we face.
I want to urge you to sound the bells of resurrection life with all of your might today regardless of what you are facing in the moment. Jesus came so that we can live fearless and free.
Hebrews 2:14-15 declares:
“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
You are going to live forever because Christ has been raised.
You are going to rule and reign as a king and a priest in a new heaven and new earth.
You are going to see Christ face to face and all of our suffering will melt away in joy.
You are not random particles, merged by chance, with a flickering moment of consciousness, doomed to eternal nothingness. You are in a story where you are wanted, chosen, redeemed, gifted, with a glorious destiny in front of you.
I don’t want to celebrate the resurrection one day of the year and then grind out the rest of my days with exhaustion, obligation, and fear. I want to live the resurrection everyday to show the world that the life of Christ is present, available and beautiful. I want to be a parable in a culture of death that life is here, and that life can be yours.
Paul reminds us in Romans 8:1 that this, in fact, is the truest reality of all. “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
Lets those words sink in.
The Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead DWELLS IN YOU.
Not the spirit of fear.
Not the spirit of rejection.
Not the spirit of anxiety, apathy, or despair.
The Spirit of resurrection life.
Here’s to living like men who have been raised from the dead with nothing to fear.
Hoping you bump into the dangerous Jesus who is alive out there this week.
Cheers.
Jon.
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Discussion Questions:
In what areas of life have I slipped back into a ‘post-Easter amnesia,’ living as if death still reigns and I have to handle life on my own?
Where have I made peace with a domesticated Jesus—distant, silent, and manageable—and how would my life be disrupted if I fully believed He is alive and active right now?
What old narratives of shame, failure, addiction, or fear still haunt me, and how would I live if I believed those stories died with Christ?
Where in my life have I settled for mere survival instead of resurrection power, and what vision might God want to resurrect in me?
What practices, rhythms, or moments could help me live each day as if resurrection were my present reality, not just a past miracle or future hope? How can the story of Jesus re-narrate my mundane and pain filled moments?