Road to the Cross: Meditations for EasterPrimjer

He Is Risen

He is not here, but has risen. (Luke 24:6)

I have bad news and good news. First, the bad news: “There is . . . a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2). Death is woven into the fabric of creation. Everything in this life is moving toward dissolution. Every mortal will die. All our relationships are terminal. One hundred percent of marriages come to an end. “There is a time to die.” That’s the bad news.

Now the good news: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen” (Luke 24:5-6). In one sense, new life in Christ begins when we join him in glory. But in another sense, new life in Christ begins right now, today, as we stop clinging to the old life, which we cannot keep, and we embrace a new life in Jesus, which we cannot lose.

Stop looking for the living among the dead. Stop clinging to the old life, to the things that will pass away. Stop obsessing over the right career move. Stop fretting about whether interest rates are going up or down. Stop fantasizing about what the latest diet will do for your body. I’m not saying we should disengage from life and become religious hermits. But I am saying that your career, your finances, your body, your mortal life—all those things are going to end.

When we cease being anxious about earthly things, things that will pass away, we find the freedom to embrace things that do not pass away—faith, hope, and love. 

Prayer: Lord, help me to stop clinging to the old life.