We hear it all the time and read the phrase in Easter greeting cards: “The miracle of Easter.” For those of us in the Christian tradition, this season is about far more than bunnies and egg hunts. Instead, it is a reminder about the ongoing daily process of resurrection that Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is really all about.
But is it? Was Jesus’ resurrection really a miracle? Or was it more of a model for the rebirth we see all around us each and every day?
When we look out on the world around us, we see examples of resurrection everywhere we turn. Spring is the most obvious example when bulbs that lay under the frozen soil pop up their bright green shoots in the gradually warming weeks of early spring, brought out of their slumber to bloom once again. Thankfully, spring isn’t the only time that God allows us to witness the “miracle” of resurrection in our ordinary lives.
We see it in the widow whose entire life was built around caring for her husband and family and now finds herself with no one to nurture. She can rebuild her life by exploring her creative side with new hobbies, spending time with friends who need a compassionate presence, or volunteering at the library or local animal shelter.
The body that has been beaten and battered by years of physical labor can experience rebirth with joint replacements and physical therapy. What phrase is so often used in this situation? “It feels like I have an entirely new lease on life!”
A marriage that has collapsed can leave both spouses emotionally drained, financially ruined, and hardened in the heart. A couple of years later when both partners have had time to grieve, reflect, and rebound and we will often see new life emerging.
Perhaps the real “miracle” of resurrection is that we all have the opportunity to experience it multiple times throughout our lives! Each and every day the sun comes up and brightens our world is a mini-resurrection of sorts. Each cry from a newborn is, quite literally, a rebirth of the DNA that travels from one generation to the next. Death occurs but that lingering thread that binds families to one another surfaces and we see it reflected in the faces of that DNA resurrecting in the newborn baby whose nose looks like grandpa’s, or whose cowlick reminds you of an uncle.
We seldom use the word “resurrection” other than when related to Jesus rolling the stone of the tomb away and then reappearing to those who needed reassurance of his ongoing presence, though in different form. This was certainly a monumental moment in history, and yet it can cause us to miss the beauty of the experience of rebirth that happens all around us, all the time. The pattern of resurrection frequently appears, but we sometimes miss it because we are not attuned to the many ways it pops up in our lives. Maybe we are looking for it to show up in flashy or magical ways, but we would be missing the point that Easter is trying to make.
Resurrection doesn’t always look like a miracle. Sometimes it looks like a person who, after everything, somehow manages to get up and try again. Sometimes it looks like an emotional death because we can’t fathom that things will improve in our lives, until they do, but our lack of patience with the process blinds us to the baby steps of new life that are wanting to push us forward. And sometimes it looks like an actual miracle, but we are dismissive of that because we don’t see the pattern that led to it.
We expect resurrection to be dramatic. But more often, it arrives quietly — in healing, in courage, in second chances, and in the slow return of hope.
Athol Congregational Church, UCC is a local community of faith that is “small enough to know you, large enough to serve.” We celebrate in-person worship as well as offer Facebook livestream services under “Athol Congregational Videos.” Our pastors and members are available for conversation on our Athol Congregational Church Facebook page, and through private messages. We would love to connect. We offer long-distance Reiki through our certified practitioners. We are willing to pray with you, and want to know you, whoever you are. We are located at 1225 Chestnut Street and can be reached at 978-249-6202.