Easter 2011: The Cross, The Tomb, The Garden

As on Friday we gazed upon a tortured savior on a wooden cross, where mysteriously our sorrow and our suffering were met by the healing love of a transcendent and compassionate God, and as on Saturday we peered into the darkness of a tomb, waiting in painful hope that the story would not be over and that the failure of Christ would not speak the final word, today we wake to a new day. Sunday, the first day of a new week, we gaze upon unexpected victory as we find absence on the cross and daylight in the tomb. Where we look to see death, the resounding voice speaks to us, "HE IS NOT HERE!"

A new day has dawned, a new word has been spoken, a new reality has been proclaimed, and new creation has infiltrated the gates of hell. Christ was dead and is now alive and thus holds in his nail scarred hands the keys to sin and death. The one who loves us, who opened himself to us, who shares his very identity with us has been vindicated over the curse and now walks so that we may walk. Life has filled the empty space upon the cross and it has not been forgotten, light has pierced the darkness of the tomb and it is never to be resealed. The one who made it all, gave it all and has redeemed it all!

The Lord lives, the crucified lives, the marginalized lives, the unwanted lives, the illegal lives, the unrepresented lives, the rejected lives, the condemned lives, the forgotten lives, the abused lives, the poor lives, the thirsty lives, the broken lives, forgiveness lives. The tomb of death has been opened to a garden of life and today, even on this day and on this ground, we are invited to plant in it the trees of life and the flowers of new creation.

Christ the Lord is risen today. Hallelujah!