I Deny The Resurrection

I heard Peter Rollins say this a few years ago and I modified it for the opening of my Easter message yesterday. It is a powerful statement about the need to "Practice Resurrection" as Wendell Berry would say. The Resurrection is not simply an event in history, it is a lifestyle that we are called to live out daily in our own lives and in the lives of others.

I deny the resurrection. Every time I allow fear and anxiety to control my emotions, every time I let despair and discouragement rob me of my peace, every time I trade in my joy for sorrow and my beauty for ashes, I deny the resurrection. Yes, I deny the resurrection. Every time I see injustice and refuse to act, every time I hurt others in order to get what I want, every time I take instead of give, I deny the resurrection. I deny the resurrection every time I convince myself that death has the final word, every time I am persuaded that there is no hope, every time I decide that no one is more important than me and nothing is more important than what I want. Every time I act this way. Every time I think this way. I deny the resurrection.