By David Trinko
The Lima News
“Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised.”
Those are the words of an angel to the women arriving at Jesus’s tomb on Easter morning. They ought to be words reconsidered by all the sinners of the world, and let’s face it, we’re all sinners. We should thoroughly think through the words “He is not here.”
Where have we omitted God and Jesus in our lives?
Is it in your interactions at your workplace? “He is not here.”
Is it in the actions of your social life? “He is not here.”
Is it in your relationships with your family? “He is not here.”
Is it in your addictions and predilections? “He is not here.”
Like many of you, I plan to attend Easter services at my church. While we may not think of ourselves as a Christian nation as much anymore, the bulk of our shared cultural values are strongly inspired by Christ. For everything from the golden rule to turning the other cheek to the idea of glass houses, we have Jesus and his teachings to thank.
Yet we frequently shy away from these beliefs in the name of political correctness, getting along with others or simple spiritual laziness. We often don’t live up to what Jesus asked of us.
That’s why so many nonbelievers and seekers look at us together in our churches and call us hypocrites. We may know the path, but we’re not necessarily on it. We may be the biggest obstacle from people joining us in God’s church.
The answer is painfully simple, and it’s right there in that Luke verse that so many churchgoers will hear. If Jesus is not here in our lives and our actions, we need to change that. He’s invited us to walk with Him forever, so it’s our own doing if we’re walking astray.
We just have to be open ourselves up to it. We have to remember in every situation that Jesus is here.
He wants us to find a joy that you can only find in following God’s will. He wants us to be the best versions of ourselves. He wants us to know and share the love of God.
Jesus is not the victim of the crucifixion story. He is the hero of it.
We are not the victims of the events of the world. We could be the heroes of them, if we only open ourselves up to God’s voice in all the moments of our lives.
I pray that one day people will look at my life, my family and my actions and say it is clear that Jesus is here with me. Until then, I’ll continue trying to put behind my sinful ways and make the most of my life.
I hope to find the living Jesus in my life. I want to recognize that He is here, just like Jesus said He would be.
An angel in another telling of this story, in Mark 16, reminds us of this. We need to stop looking for a dead Jesus and a dead God and appreciate the living ones in our lives.
“He said to them, ‘Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified,” according to Mark. “He has been raised; he is not here.”
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David Trinko is editor of The Lima News. Reach him at 567-242-0467, by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @Lima_Trinko.
