“They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.” Luke 20:36
Researching your family tree is a popular hobby these days, with so many records available through ancestry websites. I was surprised to learn that my own family history makes a connection with someone born in Topsham in the mid 1800s!
Our verse for today comes from a passage in Luke (20:27-38), where Jesus was challenged and mocked by some of his antagonists, who gave him a trick question about family ties after the resurrection. His reply rerouted their nonsense into a wonderful teaching about the life-changing reality that comes from the resurrection.
Instead of requiring us to sort through family names and the births and deaths of ancestors, the resurrection raises a new reality. Whether one is married or not, childless or not, or male or female, everyone matters because all believers in Christ are children of God, “children of the resurrection.”
Dr. Joseph Haroutunian, former professor at McCormick Theological Seminary, came to America from Armenia. One day a well-meaning friend said to him, “Your name is difficult to pronounce and difficult to spell. It could hurt your professional career. Why don’t you change your name to Harwood or Harwell or something like that?” Dr. Haroutunian asked, “What do those names mean?” His friend said, “Well, nothing. They’re just easier to remember.” Dr. Haroutunian said, “In Armenia, when my grandfather was baptized, they named him Haroutun, which means ‘Resurrection.’ I am Joseph Haroutunian and I will be a son of Resurrection all my days.”
We are children of the resurrection.
Creator of Life,
in raising Christ Jesus
up, through, out of, and beyond
the chains of death,
You opened for us the way
to eternal and abundant life.
May our Alleluias on this day
float high above the ceiling
of what we think we know
and transcend to the heaven of
what we believe—
and thus live.
Raise us up!
Renew our lives!
Resurrect our dreams!
Through Jesus Christ our Living Saviour,
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment