An Eastertide message from Bishop Easterling
Living the Resurrection: A Call to Courageous Hope
May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! On account of his vast mercy, he has given us new birth. You have been born anew into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. -- 1 Peter 1:3 (CEV)
Beloved,
Grace and Peace to You in the Name of Our Risen Savior.
The tomb is still empty. The stone remains rolled away. And the risen Christ continues to meet us — not only in the safety of our sanctuaries and behind stained-glass windows, but in the ordinary places where doubt wrestles with faith, and fear tries to drown out hope.
As people of faith, may we always remember that Easter is not merely a historical event. Easter is not just a day or a season. Indeed, Easter is a way of being. Easter is a way of living. During this sacred season of Eastertide, we are invited to walk with the early disciples who, though stunned and scattered, found themselves caught up in the transforming truth of resurrection. Their grief became purpose. Their fear became proclamation. The very ones who once ran from the cross became ambassadors of an indestructible gospel.
That is the invitation to us today. To be Easter people is to live with resurrection courage in a world that still crucifies truth and justice. It is to proclaim life in the face of death, to insist on joy in the presence of sorrow, and to be vessels of liberating grace even when the powers of this world demand silence and compliance.
This Eastertide, I pray we will lean into the long arc of resurrection living, not simply celebrating what Christ has done, but participating in what Christ is still doing. Christ is still raising up communities with justice, healing wounds with love, and calling forth new life from places thought barren and broken.
Beloved, may we never forget that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is alive in us -- in our ministry; in our witness; in our sacred resistance to all that diminishes God’s image in any person. Therefore, as we continue singing, “He is risen,” let us also proclaim that we will rise!
We will rise when justice is perverted. We will rise when power is abused. We will rise when human beings are treated as expendable. We will rise with the power of love that liberates and a faith that refuses to be silent in the face of suffering. May this season stretch us beyond comfort into compassion. May it embolden us not only to hope, but to hope out loud in our pulpits, our pews, our places of employment, our private chat rooms, and even in the public square.
For Christ is risen, yes. But Christ is also rising in every act of mercy, every cry for justice, and every soul that dares to believe that love really is stronger than death. May it be so.
Blessings and peace,
Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling
Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Area
The United Methodist Church