Resuscitation and Resurrection are not the same thing. As disciples of Jesus, our true Hope lies in the Resurrection, but we often cling to a much lesser hope of mere resuscitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Resuscitation means temporarily going\nback to how our life was. Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb and gave him back\nhis earthly life. Astounding though it was, a glimpse of things to come, Lazarus\u2019\nnew lease on life was still only for a fleeting time. He was not yet ready for\nthe glory of the Resurrection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Resurrection is something\nentirely new. Death is definitively conquered. \nJesus, once raised, will never die again. He invades hell and conquers. Beginning\non Easter Sunday, he starts appearing to his deeply discouraged and\ndisheartened disciples \u2013 astounding and surprising them with unimaginable joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Resuscitation does not last. It is not definitive. It does not change the underlying problem. Nonetheless, it has great appeal. Not only does it temporarily extend one\u2019s earthly life, it also allows us to return to what is familiar. We know what to expect, and so we feel in control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Resurrection is unpredictable and catches us by surprise. It is \u201cNew\u201d because it ushers in the New Creation. In the Resurrection, God reigns. We experience his Kingdom in all its power and glory. That means surrendering to the unknown of his infinite goodness and dying to our urge to be in control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s totally understandable that we want to cling to this present existence \u2013 it is still so amazing, even though it is only a limited experience of God\u2019s glory. But it won\u2019t last. God truly made us stewards, and we have used our freedom to disobey, allowing corruption and death to have dominion. God will not undermine or erase our freedom. The world as we know it will pass away. But he is creating something new by means of the Paschal victory of his own Son. Through Faith, Hope, and Love we are being initiated into the New Creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there is one catch \u2013 we have to die first if we are to rise. And let\u2019s not forget about the agonizing period of watching and waiting in between. What incredible joy it must have been to encounter the risen Jesus on that first Easter Sunday! Peter and the others had left him alone to die on the Cross. Their final moments with their beloved Savior and Messiah were shameful moments of betrayal and weakness. Now that same Jesus suddenly appears to them, clearly victorious and beyond all harm, and speaks astounding words: \u201cPeace be with you.\u201d What a deep and amazed flood of joy they must have felt!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
True Resurrection brings joy, even as\nits newness surprises us. But it is only possible if we first experience the\ndeath and the waiting, if we are willing to go into the depths of grief and\nloss. We often resist!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI just want things to back to normal!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How many of us have said or heard these words the past few months! Pining for the way things used to be is itself a normal human tendency. Change is hard. Loss is hard. Grieving our losses is incredibly hard \u2013 even though Jesus promises that those who mourn will be comforted and blessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We tend to resist true Hope. We prefer to settle for mere resuscitation rather than endure the pain of watching and waiting, not knowing when or how God will fulfill his promise of new life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this resistance, we are in good company. Peter and his friends, even after Easter Sunday, still struggled with wanting things to \u201cgo back to normal.\u201d In John 21 Peter declares that he is going fishing \u2013 going back to his old way of life before he got to know Jesus. No one stops him. Indeed, the others join him!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus surprises them yet again, leading them to a miraculous catch of 153 fish and inviting Peter three times on the seashore to renew his love. As in the Upper Room, he does not shame them for their weak human tendency to turn away. He meets them in their place of heartache and grief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s so hard to grieve, so hard to\nlament our losses, so hard to open ourselves to the new and better heavenly\nrealities that Jesus is opening us to. It\u2019s much easier to deny or minimize. It may\nbe absolutely obvious that things will never go back to the way they were, but\nwe will keep pretending, keep holding out false hopes. Or we will identify a\nscapegoat that we can blame, someone to lash out at because things are not the\nway we want them to be. One need only spend a minute or two on social media\nthese days to find many examples of these behaviors!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is much harder to lament \u2013 to\nallow ourselves to feel the depth of grief and agony and to express it to God\nand to others. Lament and hope are intimately connected. Refusing to settle for\nany false messiah, authentic Christian Hope stays open to the promises of God \u2013\neven when God seems to be painfully slow and silent in answering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most hopeful people I know are\nthose who are willing to cry out to God like little children \u2013 to weep, to\ngroan, to sob, or to scream \u2013 but always seeking the face of the living God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hope is defiant. It resists the cheap\nsubstitute of resuscitation. It does not settle for going back to the way things\nwere, but holds fast in Faith to the promises of Jesus. Blessed are those who\nmourn; they will be comforted. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for\nrighteousness; they will be satisfied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hope hurts. It is much easier to cling to control, to protect ourselves, to numb our pain, or to cast the blame on others. It is so hard to reach out in Hope when we do not know how or when the answer will come (indeed, what if no answer comes?). There is so much vulnerability there. And so much freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Resuscitation can be a good thing. But in the end, it can only bring us back to the present world of corruption \u2013 a world still destined to pass away. Only Resurrection can usher in the New Creation, in which God promises to wipe away every tear, in which there will be no more mourning or death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During these painful and challenging times, you and I have a choice. Will we cling to our flimsy hopes in resuscitation \u2013 or will we go into the depths of grief and lament and dare to hold out Hope in the Resurrection?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Resuscitation and Resurrection are not the same thing. As disciples of Jesus, our true Hope lies in the Resurrection, but we often cling to a much lesser hope of mere resuscitation. Resuscitation means temporarily going back to how our life was. Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb and gave him back his earthly life. Astounding … <\/p>\n