​CHRIST IS ALIVE

Our theme for the season of Easter this year is, Christ is Alive.  This does not simply point to a distant historical event. Nor does it refer to an ethereal presence of Jesus akin to a pleasant aroma or foul smell. It is easy to store Jesus safely in the future, anticipating his return, (but not too quickly, or he’ll spoil the fun). No, Christ is Alive means what it says. The bodily Christ is here, now, standing and serving and loving right in front of us.

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​For Paul, the most powerful and present tense image of Jesus Christ raised from the dead is, “the Body of Christ.” In most of his letters, Paul points to the people of Christ as his body in the world, right now, in this place. The risen Lord is not “away,” but present through the power of the Spirit right in front of our faces.  “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. (1 Corinthians 12:26-27)

In John’s writings, the risen Jesus is present and real in love. The church, the followers of Jesus, are knit together by the Spirit into a “beloved community.” This community is loved by Christ and infused with love and power, making Christ’s presence real, tangible, a force for the transformation of all things – now! “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.” (I John 4:7-21) You may not be able to see God right now, but you can see love manifest in the people of God. John maintains that this is seeing God!
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For both Paul and John, the Church is a holy thing, a bearer of divine will and power. The actual presence of the resurrected Jesus is found in the Church. That is not something we think today. We tend to think of the Church as a flawed institution with waning power that has injured too many and gotten too much wrong. That is all true. Yet, the Church is also the resurrected Jesus in this world.

Over the weeks of Lent, we set a goal of raising $7,000 to feed the hungry through the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. We raised $9,000. That offering will enable the hands and feet of the risen Christ to feed people in need all around the world. We asked the congregation to provide 50 dozen dinner rolls for Hope Ministries to serve to the homeless on Easter. We supplied 84 dozen (over 1,000 rolls). With each roll placed in the hands of a person facing homelessness and hunger, the risen Jesus broke bread and was revealed. This past Sunday we filled a truck with household goods to give women and children fleeing abusive situations establish a safe place to live. With every towel, sheet, table, chair, the risen Christ was a concrete reality.

Maybe you sometimes stand off and figure your words, or care, or gifts are not enough. You’re wrong. If we love in the smallest way, we manifest Christ in our midst. He is risen, risen indeed. Think how powerful the work of Christ would be in the world as the Body of Christ strides through the suffering of the world with everyone being part of the body. Think of how much love could change the world if all who call on the name of the Lord joined arms and showed the love placed in our hearts. That is the reality of resurrection promise right here, right now in the Body of Christ, the Beloved Community.
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Pax Christi – Tim Olson, Lead Pastor