Last week churches across our community, and world celebrated the most important holiday in our communal worshiping life, Easter Sunday.
As I am sure you know Easter, or resurrection Sunday as some are accustomed to calling it, is a day where we gather to remember and celebrate an empty tomb, the defeat of death, and moreover the reality of our risen Savior, but this Easter was different for me. I found that I had a thorn in my flesh that I could not quite shake. A nagging question in the back of my head that would not leave me alone as I stood in worship at First Christian Church on Easter morning singing hymns and praises to our Risen Savior.
“How can I celebrate the truth of the resurrection of Jesus when I do not believe it?
Yes, you read that right! As a Christian and a Pastor, I want to publicly confess that not only do I not believe in the resurrection of Jesus, but I outright deny it. The question is now, will you be so bold and honest to admit it along with me? Because regardless of the confessions you made on Sunday, the creeds you may have recited, or the hymns you sang, chances are you deny the resurrection too. Now, I know you might not be so happy that I would make such a strong statement about your faith, and I get that, but as your sibling in Christ I ask that you bear with me for just a little longer.
I don’t mean to offend, it’s just that the resurrection is not something you believe, it’s something you do. The resurrection of Jesus is evidence of a different world. It’s the Kingdom here and now among us inviting us to love our neighbors, and struggle alongside them, for a place where the hungry are fed, the naked are clothed, and the captives are set free. Somewhere along the way it seems that we have, for the most part, lost the plot and in doing so have rendered Easter pointless.
We must be willing to honestly ask ourselves, what does our celebration of the risen Lord mean to those who are trapped in an endless Good Friday? What does our best Sunday clothes and profession of faith mean to the widow, the orphan, the hungry? What does our “belief” in an empty tomb mean to those suffering the hellfire of poverty, substance abuse, queerphobia, racism, and oppression day in and day out in our community? What good is the resurrection if we deny it with our lives?
Because regardless of what we say, when we do not stand against the forces of oppression, racism, and alienation that are wreaking havoc in our community we are denying the resurrection!
When we are more concerned about our church buildings, programs, and budgets than the homeless we deny the resurrection!
When we see our neighbors in need and do not help, we deny the resurrection!
When we promote mindsets, policies, and laws that hurt LGBTQ+ folks we deny the resurrection!
When we stand by and watch our community be ravaged by the opioid epidemic, we deny the resurrection!
When we refuse to speak up against all injustice, we deny the resurrection!
When our own cupboards are full but families in our community go hungry, we deny the resurrection!
When we do not love our enemies, we deny the resurrection!
When we fail to love our neighbors as Christ has loved them, we deny the resurrection!
So, if you are still here, I’ll leave you with a question that you must answer for yourself; What good is it to proclaim belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ when it seems that he remains buried in the tombs of our hearts and churches?
Ryan Cagle is Co-Organizer Jubilee House Community.
