What the Resurrection means to my friend Billy . I thought this was very deep and wanted to share his thoughts.
April 23, 2011
When I thought of Easter when I was younger, I always imagined a courtroom in which Jesus volunteers to take my sins and God is the old man in the judge’s throne with that little hammer thing. The twist happened when Jesus turned out to be greater than the punishment - rising from the dead and all. However, right now I find myself thinking about resurrection through a different lens than the cosmic courtroom metaphor. What am I to do make of the Easter message in this world today?
When I think of resurrection right now, two photographs come to mind:
Here is the somewhat well-known photograph of Christians in Egypt circling around praying Muslims in order to protect them from attack. You hear of these two religions mentioned together, and certain stereotypes come to mind usually centered upon conflict, hate, bloodshed, and persecution. However, the men and women protecting the Muslims are some of the most countercultural people living out the grace of Jesus.
This is a picture of Topsi, a South African woman who works at Limakatso, a school and care center for the disabled youth of Intabazwe. She is the only worker and works 365 days a year. If it weren’t for Topsi, these kids would have no constructive environment. In a society where disability is seen as a curse from the ancestors, Topsi has given her entire life to these 20 kids.
The “life more abundantly” of John 10:10 is not initiated by death or heaven. It is happening in the here and now. I see the resurrection when I look at these particular Christians in Egypt, and experienced it first hand when I met Topsi a couple of summers ago. The image of the empty tomb provides an unstoppable hope for the advancement of goodness and love.
Resurrection can happen and all things can be made new.
