Recently a good friend came up to me and asked, "Do you know why we say 'He is risen' as opposed to the better English of 'He has been raised' or 'He was raised'?"
Honestly, it caught me off guard because I had never really given it that much thought before.
"He is risen, He is risen indeed!" This is what we proclaim... but why? Why this way?
Yet another note on the mysterious melody of our faith.
Throughout history the church has gathered together to weekly proclaim "He is risen."
Doing so we proclaim everything that is relevant about our faith...
We proclaim this present verb "is" because this is something that's currently going on...
Yes the Rising has taken place in history... Christ has won out over death... He has Risen!
Death has been defeated...
Yet we miss all of this if we do not recognize that we are called participants in this resurrection. That not only has this act of defiance against the tyranny of death been over-thrown by an empty tomb... this holy rebellion has a part to play in our lives at this very moment!
Not only has Jesus Christ been raised from the dead but we at this moment in time, wherever you are - right now - are being affected by the grace that is blasting forth from the power of that moment two-thousand years ago.
Resurrection is still happening everywhere in every way.
Suddenly this Resurrection that took place so long ago is somehow pulling us into our future by transforming our present.
Together we humbly and gratefully gather each week and affirm "He is risen" and so respond joyfully expressing the resurrection reality in our lives even now, "He is risen indeed!"
- Caleb
