| But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 2 Corinthians 4:7-12
The “Paschal mystery” is the expression we use for the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ. We celebrate this Paschal mystery as Christians not just from Good Friday to Easter but every day of our journey home. We have the promise that death will be swallowed up in victory… and yet as Christ followers, his death, burial and resurrection are still very real as Christ is being formed in us. The month of April has always been a living metaphor of the Paschal mystery for us. We were married in 1981. Our son Paul went to heaven in 1988. We received the fulfillment of a prophetic promise in the birth of our son, Josiah, in 1989. We taught our first CCM life group (before it was CCM) in Marshall in 1991. We sold our home and were sent from the church we loved and served in 1992 to lead CCM. We experienced a deep family tragedy that resulted in the acquittal of a dangerous criminal in 1997… All in April… The list goes on but we will stop there.
What if the month of April held that many “Paschal Mystery” moments for you? Would you get out of bed in April? We would — and do!! This month has taught us the meaning of death, burial and resurrection in ways that have made our lives living stories of the power, presence and purpose of God. Even today, we woke up stirred to pray for the miraculous to happen today, this month, this year. We are resurrection people. Every pain and difficulty has produced resurrection life in us. Every victory has produced reverence and awe. We can’t wait to see what is next. Whatever needs to “die in us that Christ might live” is our deepest desire. If you have made Christ your Savior, you are resurrection people, too. As we journey through these Lenten days, studying the “Radical” roots of our faith, let the death, burial and resurrection story speak to you. Look at the people from scripture in your family roots. How did they live through the significant moments of their lives? How did they let the Paschal mystery work in them for a resurrected way of living? We are praying for us all to live as people who let the death, burial and resurrection of Christ become the miracle for our world.
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