Out of the Mud, Into the Light

Rightly the lily is the flower of Easter. It lies buried in the ooze of pond or stream. There is nothing in the grave of the dead lily that appeals to nostril or eye. But silently the forces of life are working in the dark and the damp to prepare a glorious resurrection. A shaft of green shoots upward toward the sun. This is followed by a cluster of tiny buds. One day the sun smiles with special warmth upon the dank, black ooze, and there leaps into the light a creature of light and beauty; it is the lily, an angel of the earth, whose look is light.

- Author Unknown

 

Today is Good Friday, the day that recalls Jesus' crucifixion and death. From the mortal mind, it is hard to see any good in this event; rather it appears to be a monumental tragedy! How else could you see it? Jesus, the great messiah, this benevolent wise master of life, at the peak of his powerful ministry betrayed by his closest friends and followers leading to embarrassment, humiliation, degradation, enormous suffering and ultimately death. This great enlightened one, who offered immense hope to humanity, embodied unimaginable love, compassion, extraordinary healing prowess, the quintessence of a truly good leader that could lead the world out of darkness....snuffed out!

From the human perspective that looks at the facts, it is not a satisfying story. It leaves us yearning for an explanation, demanding an answer to make sense of this great loss. From this perspective, Jesus is seen as victim, and the world suffered a great loss that day in Golgotha.

This propensity to view life as tragic or at least unsatisfactory is our human tendency. Every one of us might look at our own lives, and say it is not satisfying; it didn't work out the way it should have; it's not the life we imagined, something failed, something went horribly wrong, it shouldn't have happened. This perspective, though an understandable human reaction at first, must give way to a greater truth, lest we remain in the tomb of sorrow and regret. So how do we find new life after loss?

There is another way to see life. The enlightened perspective never comes to those who look at life myopically. As Cervantes said, facts are the enemy of the truth. Jesus referred to this enlightened perspective as, "being born from above," and told the disciple, Peter that human sight sees only the flesh, and misses the Spirit. Just as Mary Magdalene was temporarily blinded by the facts of Jesus death until her eyes were opened to behold what an earthly tomb could not contain, the resurrected Christ.

Life situations are part of the changeable landscape of our lives; they are not the eternal Life we have in God. True Life cannot be created or destroyed. Therefore, we can lose every form of life, no matter how precious to us, and still have a life, even an abundant life, as Jesus promised and demonstrated.

There's life after divorce.

There's life after a major illness.

There's life after job loss or bankruptcy.

There's life after the death of a loved one.

Will it be difficult, or painful? Perhaps. Yet life continues, and offers us new opportunities to express the irrepressible life and love within us. Jesus legacy to us is to remember that we don't need to stay in the tomb. Through the power of Divine Love, forgiveness and an abiding faith in God's presence no matter what comes, or goes, we too can be lifted up, and we too can bear witness to the Christ spirit that lives on through it all!

Join us this Easter Sunday as we look with faith at this enlightened perspective with the message "Believing Is Seeing." We will illuminate the darkness that shrouds a deeper spiritual truth and reveal how human loss becomes spiritual victory. Be there for your faith lift!

Happy Easter.