Death and Resurrection

I Corinthians 15:54-55: When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"

With this being Holy Week, I thought it was a good time to reflect on death and resurrection. Frankly, I have been thinking about that lately, anyway. We celebrate resurrection and new life this Sunday on Easter morning. But we must realize that their is no resurrection without death. It seems obvious to say that Jesus had to die before he could come back to life.  As Christians we should know that Jesus, through His death and resurrection, has conquered sin and death. Our faith tells us that His grace provides eternity for us. But death and resurrection isn't just an end of life proposition. What if we thought of death and resurrection in our everyday lives. I believe that Jesus is calling us to resurrection in the here and now.
2 Corinthians 5:17: "So if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come."
In Christ, we are made new. In Christ, we experience resurrection. But remember, there is no resurrection without death. This can be tough because we all want to experience newness and resurrection, but many of us fear the death part. Not only are many of us afraid to see people die, but we are also afraid to let habits, attitudes, rituals, programs, biases, and even traditions die as well. In many cases, we even struggle with letting our sinful ways die.
So as I ponder Christ's death and resurrection this week, I am asking myself, "what needs to die in my life so I can experience resurrection?" I want to have new life as a father and a husband. I want to feel new life in my ministry at Mamrelund Lutheran Church, in my relationships with others, and in my relationship to Jesus. Not that any of these areas are terrible, but I can't wait until death is at the doorstep. Jesus wants us to experience life abundantly! Now. So, in order to truly live an abundant life in Christ, I have to be willing to examine my life to see what needs to be put to death. I have to be willing to put to death the things that I think are important, in order that Christ can bring new life to the areas that are truly important. And I must trust that whatever dies will pale in comparison to what Jesus is waiting to resurrect.
This is not an easy process, but it is a worthwhile one. I believe that the church, both the body of believers and the individual members, should always be thinking about death and resurrection in this way. There is much new life to be lived, but the question is, "what are we willing to put to death?"
I pray this Easter season that we all would experience death in life-changing ways and resurrection in life-giving ways, to the Glory of God the Father. Amen!