Resurrection has a name. Yes, first and foremost, it has the name Jesus, the name above all others. But it’s known by other names, too. Not names above all others, but given names, nonetheless.
From the women who first arrived at the empty tomb to the early disciples, resurrection is known by names like Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary, the mother of James. A name like Peter, John, James, and Thomas. And with each name, there’s a particular and beautiful story about how the resurrected Christ met them in their everyday lives, a story they told to others, who then retold that story to others. On and on it goes.
And so here we are centuries later. Resurrection continues to have names attached to personal stories as diverse as the people called by those names. Names like Bill, Helen, and Kenny. Like Shaniqua, Jose, and Maria. Like Yousef, Li, and Lisa. People you know, people I know, and most we don’t, who have been spiritually awakened by God’s unkillable life and love. People moved from death to life, from difficult endings to new beginnings, from despair to hope, from resentments to forgiveness, from small ways of thinking to larger, expansive, and inclusive ways of seeing themselves and the world as God sees. They are evidence of changed lives — of changing lives.
Resurrection has a name — yours and mine. And on and on it goes.
Much love,
Pastor Gregg
