Biblical text:
“For the love of Christ binds us together, because we judge this: that one died for all, therefore all died; and he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again.” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
Reflection:
The Lord has risen from the dead! We have hope! We are filled with joy!
1. He is alive! We are certain that our sins have been forgiven.
We were heavily in debt, but our debt was canceled when it was nailed to the cross. Christ destroyed our debt note on the cross. It was full of our sins, transgressions, and moral failures. It was resolved there, on the cross. We are free. Christ was captured in the Garden of Gethsemane to free you from whatever holds you captive from selfish desires and egoistic motives. He set us free from everything that deforms our character.
2. The Lord is alive! He changes us internally.
The Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros painted a suggestive work entitled: Our Times. It depicts a man with his hands outstretched in front of him. However, this figure has an unhewn stone instead of a head. The figure is blind, cold, and helpless. His open arms and empty palms long to receive something. However, the stony face suggests that this man is unable to perceive the truth, the meaning of life, or the beauty around him. On Good Friday, the rocks cracked. On Easter Sunday, the stone was rolled away. In the presence of Christ, even the rocks move. He, the living Lord, can transform hearts and faces of stone. He demonstrates his power even when a person figuratively turns to stone.
3. The living Lord is with us and helps and heals our interior.
God is the “soul of our soul” and the “I of our I”, the “Heart of our heart.” He is closer to us than we are to ourselves. As a living Lord, He heals our insides, puts them in order, and gives us peace.
In 1915, a man in America bought a car. On the road between two cities, he suddenly had problems; the car wouldn’t go. The engine stalled. When he began to despair, another car appeared. The driver got out of the car and asked about the problems. He opened the hood, did something there, and finally said, “Now it’ll start!” The driver started it, and the car went. Then the miraculous repairman introduced himself to the driver: “I’m Henry Ford. I built this car myself, so I know what to do if something goes wrong.” Likewise, our God knows us well; He created us and heals us; He can “fix” us with His grace and forgiveness.
4. The Lord is alive! His word is alive and powerful among us.
One of Martin Rázus’s books has a beautiful title: The Legacy of the Dead. The content is wonderful. The message of past generations can certainly inspire us. However, the message of the dead may not be so powerful or inspiring. Jesus’s words are entirely different. It is the living word of the living Lord, speaking to you. To everyone, with different intensity. ‘God whispers in joy, speaks in problems, and shouts in our pain. ‘ (C. S. Lewis).
5. Even when our temporal life ends, the living Lord gives us a living and certain hope.
If He had not risen, our eternal home would be two meters underground. But Christ rose, and our home is in heaven. Even if our physical body is buried in the ground, one day He will raise us from the dead.
6. The living Lord brings life to the Church.
He rose and now cares for His Church. In the Lord’s Supper, Christ gives His body and blood so that we do not perish spiritually in this world of spiritual desolation. The Lord wants His Church to flourish. The apostle speaks of the result of this action: ‘But that we should not live for ourselves, but for Him who died for us and rose from the dead’ (2 Cor. 5:14–15). Amen.
Prayer:
Glory to You, Lord. As the holy angels gave glory to You, so may we also give glory and praise to You. And grant that we may give You glory forever.
