Is the Resurrection for Real?

Chad Holtz

Gonna push all my chips to the center of the table and say, "All in."

I believe in resurrection not because I have to in order to be saved but because I get to stand in awe of my adoption.

Resurrection declares we are not alone. Resurrection is God's NO! to sin and YES! to Creation. Resurrection insists that God invaded our world, exploding history.

Resurrection is God's refusal of our rejection. Resurrection means God filled the abyss of sin and death and said "Oh no you don't."

It's not only real, it's true.

Resurrection is God saying, "All in."

Chad Holtz is a former student pastor about to complete his M.Div. at Duke Divinity School. Heblogs at Dancing On Saturday.

Eliacin Rosario-Cruz

Resurrection does not matter because it is real. It is real because it matters. Resurrection is that which give us the ever-growing horizon of possibilities. This happening points and enlarges the habitual experience of the rhythm of life, pointing to the kernel of exuberant life even in the face of death and defeat. As Fr. Ernesto Cardenal said in reference to the 1979 Sandinista Revolution, "The revolution makes no sense unless there is a resurrection." It is the dunamis that propel and draw us to hopeful, just, and creative living. 

Eliacin Rosario-Cruzis a Postulant for Priesthood in The Episcopal Church and a M.Div. student at the School for Theology and Ministry at Seattle University. He blogs at Eliacin Rosario-Cruz.

Amy Julia Becker

My husband threw a handful of crackers across the room. He was angry.

My daughter threw her arms out wide and said, "Tada!" She was proud.

My son's tears rolled down his cheeks. He was sad.

The physical expression made the feeling real.

I can't believe in Jesus' resurrection unless it was physical, unless it was an act of God's power affirming Jesus in his full humanity, as an integrated being, body, mind, and spirit. The resurrection was more than physical, but the physical made it real.

God raised Jesus from the dead. God rejoiced. And so do I.

Amy Julia Beckeris an author and recent grad of Princeton Theological Seminary. She blogs at Thin Places.

Greg Garrett

It happened.

Now, did Jesus actually physically sit up in his winding shroud, walk out into the Garden, freak out Mary Magdalene, Peter, the Beloved Disciple?

I wasn't there. But I can tell you it's the only ending that makes narrative sense. Hans Urs von Balthasar said that the Resurrection was the plot twist God crafted for a story headed for disaster.

Like every good surprise ending, though, resurrection has to be true to the story preceding it. If God truly is about justice, love, and mercy, then sin, violence, and death can't be the end of the story.

Greg Garrett is an English Professor at Baylor University, an Episcopal Lay Preacher and the author of The Other Jesus. Read his weekly column, "Faithful Citizenship," here.

Sheron C. Patterson

The resurrection is God's power statement. That is why it is relevant today. God, in all infinite and eternal wisdom, knows how to get a point across. When Jesus rose from the grave, God reminded us who is in charge: God, not us. While the power of the resurrection is relevant, it may not be well received in our highly competitive society. Everyone wants to be the most powerful. We don't want anyone else to have more power than we do. We have power lunches, power suits, and power foods—yet our efforts pale in comparison to God's powerful act on Calvary.

Rev. Dr. Sheron Pattersonis an ordained United Methodist minister in Dallas, Texas and the author of seven books.