ON EASTER SUNDAY I’M LIKE

CHRIST IS RISEN–the impossible, incomprehensible claim that Christians celebrate today (and our Orthodox sisters and brothers celebrate on May 1st) exemplifies the unpredictable nature of our savior, Jesus Christ. Ours is a God who came to save us in the most unexpected way–in the form of a vulnerable infant–who preached and healed among the poor, outcast, and lowly; and whose victory was achieved by giving up his life, whose triumph over death was achieved by dying, who won our salvation in a manner that completely subverts our expectations. Jesus Christ, God and human, is the manifestation of the paradox of divine-human relationship: God is beyond our comprehension and yet we seek with our whole hearts to know God.



So if you think you have God all figured out, just wait. Because while we can think that we know what God wants of us and try to make sense of God’s plans for us, God is revealed in the wonderful messes of our lives. And when we put limits on who God is or how God can work through us, we miss the point of the Paschal Mystery. Ours is a God of surprises, a Messiah who defies our expectations, a savior who liberates us from sin, death, and our self-imposed restrictions on divine grace. Let go of your presumptions, because ours is a God whose love is beyond comprehending.

