He is risen

In his short novel The Man Who Died , D H Lawrence  had an alternative explanation for the resurrection- that Jesus didn’t die and revived in the cool of the tomb.Lawrence himself summarized his story in a letter to a friend:

“I wrote a story of the Resurrection, where Jesus gets up and feels very sick bout everything, and can’t stand the old crowd any more – so cuts out – and as he heals up, be begins to find what an astonishing place the phenomenal world is, far more marvellous than any salvation or heaven – and thanks his stars he needn’t have a mission any more.” Does this have any basis in truth?

As Christians we see things differently, and to celebrate what this Easter Day means to many of us, I once more borrow from Ronald T Haney’s Stations of the cross, which has encouraged and sustained me through Holy week.

“The Word is risen. The word made flesh, made sin, made passion, mad death is risen…Jesus of Bethlehem. Now the eternal man. Jesus of Nazareth. Now the everlasting Galilean. Jesus of Jerusalem. Now the Lord of the universe. Jesus of Palestine. Now the saviour of the world. Jesus of Golgotha. Now the cosmic Christ…

He has risen! Creative words. Words of life.Immortal words. Words of destiny.Living words. Words of good news. And the good news is that he is alive.Now. This very moment. In my life. “I live, yet not I, but Christ is living in me.” (Gal 2:20)

He persuades us with his resurrection power to cause resurrections in the lives of others. help others to come alive. To God. To the world. To people. To themselves. To draw others to that fullness of life for which he laid down his life. “Christ now raised from the dead will never die again” (Rom 6:9).”

May you come to know the blessing of his resurrection power in you this Easter Day and may you have the faith to call on him to renew this blessing each day of your life.