Christ is Risen

By Bishop (Retd) Stanley E. Downes

The truth is that Christ has been raised form death…All will be raised to life because of their union with Christ – (1 Cor. 15:20, 22).

“That’s it” I exclaim, “In union with Him!” the numbness of my soul is eased and my mind is lightened by the Lord. It is in such relationship with the risen Christ that I find new life; then I can indeed, witness to the power of His resurrection. I am reminded by all four Gospel records that Jesus was subjected to mock trial, to false charges, to human violence and to public execution. His disciples denied and deserted Him – it was one of them who betrayed Him.

I am reminded that they reached at first with confusion, doubt and fear to the announcement of His resurrection. Nevertheless, those very disciples later bear witness to the risen Lord because of what they actually experienced. It is John who declares: “We have heard it, and we have seen it with our eyes; yes, we have seen it and our hands have touched it.” (1 John 1:1). And Peter also declares: “We have not depended upon made-up stories…but with our eyes we saw His greatness.” (2 Peter 1:16). The importance of Apostolic witness and tradition lies in this personal encounter with the risen Lord by those who had walked and talked with Him. However, Jesus Himself acknowledged that faith does not depend upon sensory perception; accordingly He assured Thomas, “Do you believe because you see me? How happy are those who believe without seeing me.” (John 20:29).

The Apostolic tradition will always be a necessary foundation for Christian faith; but faith in Christ today does not rest only on the Apostolic witness contained in the Scriptures – importance as it is. In fact it is this scriptural witness that leads to a faith encounter with the risen Lord; this faith-encounter, verified by Scripture and by the Apostolic tradition is the basis of “Union with Him.”  Such an experience is as valid a witness to the resurrection on Jesus as was the witness of those who saw Him faced to face in the beginning. For this reason, the beatitude that Jesus gave to Thomas is for us today, in the third Christian millennium: Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed”. (John 20:29). Further, Peter himself, makes it a point to reassure believers: “You love him, although you have not seen him, and you believe in him, although you do now see him.” (1 Peter 1:5).

My soul is numb no more; I sense a Presence around my desk as I become engrossed in preparing this Easter message. Suddenly I am interrupted by the postman at the front door. I scan through the letters and packets and my excitement mounts as my encounter with the risen Lord begins to take on a broader dimension. It was after His resurrection that Jesus assured His disciples, “When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:18).

The morning letters give evidence that this witness “to the ends of the earth” continues with as much vigor, or even more than before: I read about Christian witness and testimony on the World Wide Web, on the internet and on TV; about translation and distribution of Bible in new languages and dialects; about Christian initiative for the rights of the child and the empowerment of women; about Christian ministry to the disabled and the blind; about Christian NGO’s  working for the welfare off families and the transformation of communities; about Christian medical work for HIV-AIDS; about new mission fields and Church-planting ministries; about deliverance from superstition and evil through  faith in the Lord Jesus – and so the witness goes on into all the world of today. The Church is indeed, the “body of Christ”, but He is not the monopoly of Christian institutions and ecclesiastical structures; in fact the risen Lord goes before us “to the ends of the earth” where we are called to follow and to witness.

The struggle to know and do the truth, to uphold and live by spiritual values, to establish human dignity and freedom and freedom must go on because sin and death do not have the last word. Christ has conquered; He is the revelation and the mediator of God’s abundant life in all its fullness – this is what the resurrection of Jesus is all about. “Where Death is you victory? Where Death is your power to hurt? Death gives its power to hurt from sin, and sin gets it power from the Law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:55-57).

Conviction and compulsion return to me with fresh focus. In union with Christ there is a life to live and a life to be laid down when necessary; there is a witness to give and there is service to be done; there is a message to preach and faith to proclaim. John summed it up in his Gospel: “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through His name.” (John 20:30-31).

Christ is risen! His is risen indeed. Hallelujah!