Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
“In the resurrection from the dead … They cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection…. God is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to God all of them are alive.”
— From Luke 20. 27-38
Jesus is talking about the afterlife. But also, he isn’t. God is the God of the living, not the dead. Our faith is about how to live, not what happens to us when we die. If we believe in Resurrection, that we are somehow raised after we go to the grave, then we live right now as if we trust it. We live as children of the resurrection. If we know that we are raised after we die, then we have no reason to fear death. It has no power over us. Even before death, we already cannot die anymore.
Since God gives us life that even death can’t overcome, that is the life we seek, and the grace we trust. We are not bound by the need to protect ourselves or preserve ourselves. We have no reason not to give ourselves away. We have no fear of taking risks for the sake of compassion. We can give of ourselves in attentiveness to others, unburdened by defensiveness, competition or greed. As children of the resurrection, in this life we are free. By the grace of God we are truly, deeply, joyfully alive.
Today, live with courage as a child of the resurrection.
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve
______________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net