The resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Resurrection, the foundation of the Christian faith, can never be reduced to simply a teaching, a part of the theology of the Church. We do learn about it in books, in hymns and prayers of the Church, and we, as Orthodox Christians, loudly proclaim it together during the late-night Resurrection service. But if it were to remain just a teaching, we would be missing the point of our Lord’s life, death and resurrection, which happened over 2,000 years ago!

Resurrection is new life from death, the birth of something new, of something better than before. Jesus rises from the grave not as he was during his earthly ministry, but as the conqueror of death, teaching of this new life for only 40 days before ascending into heaven to be seated at the right hand of His Father, and our Father, in heaven.

Our fasting, praying and works of charity during Great Lent are not meant to test us to see how well we do for 7 weeks, and then return to our pre-Lenten habits and lifestyle. They are meant to change us, to resurrect us to something new, something better than we were before. Those three spiritual tools help us to grow in Christ, to show us that spiritual growth is possible each and every year.

The Orthodox Church teaches us to properly prepare for, and celebrate, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For the 40 days following, we proclaim the resurrection together in church, at home with our family, in prayer by ourselves. On the Thursday of Ascension, we celebrate the return of Jesus to the Kingdom of Heaven, and ten days later, the sending of the Holy Spirit on the Sunday of Pentecost, bringing to a close the beautiful and spiritually beneficial part of the year.

This year we are also looking at the physical resurrection of our church! The flood incident this past January has provided us an opportunity to rebuild, to resurrect our physical church to a condition more beautiful than before. New flooring will be installed shortly, new ceiling tiles will be added, and finally, pews are scheduled to be installed in May!

May this celebration of our Lord’s resurrection truly be a time for rebirth for all, growing from our past, looking confidently to a new and brighter future as followers of Jesus Christ!