Life wins.
I’m not the first to summarize the Easter message into such a small package, but I do use this phrase a lot. I did preach this on Easter, but the primary place where you’re likely to hear me say these words is at a funeral. I’ve said these words at every funeral I’ve served for years now. Does it seem strange that as we mourn a death the message would be of life’s victory? Not really, or not to Christians—death is both an occasion to recall Christ’s victory over death (BCP p. 498) and the time when we most need to remember that message.
The issue is whether or not the statement is true. Faced with a death, an event that was usually preceded by all kinds of prayer meant to keep it from happening, we have to wonder what we mean by this Easter message, “Life wins.” Obviously we do not mean that we will never suffer death. Christ does not give us immortality on this planet, but we do mean that on the other side of death Jesus has opened the gates of eternal life. That’s a good message for all those who mourn to remember—there will be a reunion. But it also seems to be a “pie-in-the-sky” message, without a lot of relevance or proof for those of us on this side of death. So we believe it—of course we believe it—how else can we get through these times of devastating loss? To make it more credible, many Christians build up solid houses of logical theology. But mostly we just try to ignore it. Don’t think too deeply—pie-in-the-sky theology isn’t the sort of thing that can answer the deep questions that arise in the middle of the night.
Rolling out the “Life wins” Gospel message only at funerals misses the real point. The Gospel is meant to handle the questions that arise in the middle of the night because it is grounded in this life, in our experience. “ Life wins” has to do with our attitude toward all of life, not just its end. To believe that life wins is to believe that what we do matters, even small things can make a great difference. Knowing that, we can choose to serve the cause of life—we usually call this faithful living. People try to change things because they think they can make a difference. Sometimes those efforts take years, even generations, but that’s ok, because life will win. Another word for this attitude is hope, which isn’t just about the life to come, but includes our faith in God’s presence in this one as well. Even in this life, we have reason to hope.
The Resurrection of Jesus matters. This moment is our sign, even proof, that life matters. This is not as good as it gets, and in the Resurrection, God makes the counter move that begins to change the picture. As Jesus’ disciples, we enlist on the side of Life. We are in a fight, choosing life over death, and we mean it.
This Easter season, we’re going to be thinking about what the Resurrection means. Ultimately we will have a worship opportunity to highlight the Resurrection through the Stations of the Resurrection. 15 different stories will tell us about the Resurrection and invite us to explore the presence in our onw lives. Which story speaks the most to you?