C: What is death?
J: Death is a lie. The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate definition of death. Like a lingering sickness, death afflicts us until we succumb to it and realize that ultimately the full manifestation of the sickness is the healing. Our healing is found in our resurrection. However, there is no such thing as resurrection without death. I feel very comfortable standing with the Apostle Paul on this one, “Where is death’s sting?” How does one talk about the temporary sting of death in the face of the resurrection?
C: I believe we take courage and walk through death much like the caterpillar. For a season we find the caterpillar growing in life. That season ends with a journey to its cocoon – a death. This death though is merely a stop on the way to transformation. The caterpillar dissolves into nothing and emerges as a butterfly. I also agree with Paul. Death is a transformation “from glory to glory.” Where can we find the courage to enter death?
J: From plastic surgery to vitamin supplements to the latest fad diet, we are a people addicted to denying death. We think we can live forever. We spend our lives convincing ourselves that we are never going to die. Regardless of how you shake it, we are all perpetually dying. The path of Jesus is about choosing life in the midst of overwhelming evidence that death is the end. Courage is the belief that death is not the end. How do we combat the psychological deaths that are afflicting marginalized and oppressed people all over the world?
C: I believe the resurrected Jesus is the fullness of love. Jesus shows us that when we die to love we are transformed into love. Love is the only power of resurrection. In resurrection, love is the balm for the afflicted. We must learn to practice resurrection. It is only after we have died to love that we can we fully love. In dying to love…privileges fade, identities dissolve and fear departs. We are empowered to live into the queerest of our being and repair the world in the process. What does it look like to die to love?
J: I don’t know that one can die to love. God is love. Love created us and it is love that sustains us. Love is always with us. We must die to the evil within us and live more fully into the love that will never leave us nor forsake us. How do you die to the evil within?
C: I have committed to loving each piece of who I am. In a world that tells me black isn’t enough, I embrace my heritage. When the world says Queer is an abomination, I celebrate the ways I love and who I love. I purge the evil and allow love to fully live within me. How does love renew you?
J: Love calls all of us to perpetual resurrection.
Amen.
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