From the Pastor Spring 2020

As winter turns into spring, we see signs of new life around us.  In late February, I heard the unmistakable call of a killdeer, an indicator in our part of the world that migratory birds are beginning to move into position for a new nesting season.  Even while conditions seem harsh and inhospitable, God is nudging the world with a determined, life-giving pulse. 

Beneath snow-covered, frozen ground, wildflowers are also preparing to emerge.  One of my favorites is the great white trillium that can be found in our local forest preserves in mid-spring.  These native flowers evoke the trumpet-like image of an Easter lily, and the triad of petals suggests the three-in-one beauty of the Holy Trinity.  Vernal events of nature can reinforce our faith in Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead and extends the promise of new life to us. 

At Easter, our stories and songs about the resurrection remind us that Jesus embodied an enduring way of life that he invites us to share.  In the third verse of “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” Charles Wesley emphasizes that through faith and good works, we experience the blessing of eternal life:

“King of glory, soul of bliss,

Everlasting life is this,

Thee to know, thy power to prove,

Thus to sing and thus to love.”¹

In faith, we would seek to know God more fully, and through our actions, we would demonstrate how God is working in us.  However, it is often easier said than done.  While resurrection is a gift from Christ, it takes a concerted effort on our part. 

Most of us have “monkey mind.”  We are prone to unsettled, unfocused, negative thinking.  It is something we must overcome if we would embrace the new life that Christ offers. 

To resist our monkey mind, Fr. Richard Rohr suggests focusing on the blessing of resurrection.  We can affirm positive experiences when we feel content and full.  Rohr invites us to ask ourselves: “How can I deeply say Yes to that and allow that feeling?”² 

The alternative, according to Rohr, is “avoiding resurrection and choosing hell.”  He acknowledges that resurrection is not our natural state.  He says: “It’s always a gift from God, but a gift from God that we have to assent to and choose and make our own.” ³

What are you going to choose?  Will you replay old hurts and clutch past grievances?  Will you focus on the divisions in the church and our society?  Will you obsess about threats like the coronavirus to public health and our economy?  Or will you tame your monkey mind and train yourself to have the mind of Christ?

In our daily lives, we can experience resurrection.  In the midst of challenges and hostilities, we can choose to tap into God’s determined, life-giving pulse that is all around us.  Through prayer and worship, we can devote ourselves to Jesus Christ the King of glory, and with God’s help, we can cultivate a soul of bliss.  It is proof that Christ the Lord is risen today, and so are we.

Yours in Christ,

Brian

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¹ Charles Wesley, "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today," in The United Methodist Hymnal (Nashville, TN: United Methodist Publishing House, 1989), 302.

² Richard Rohr, "Running from Resurrection," ed. The Work of the People, Resurrection Now, https://www.theworkofthepeople.com/running-from-resurrection.

³ Ibid.