‘As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives’ - March 12
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 95[*] & 88; PM Psalm 91, 92; Jer. 11:1-8,14-20; Rom. 6:1-11; John 8:33-47
Today’s Reflection
“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” –Romans 6: 3-8
These words from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans are so timely today, when we will come together at noon to remember the life of our beloved Saint’s Stephen’s parishioner, choir member, pianist, and friend, Anise Morris. Paul’s words give us reassurance on this day, especially, because they remind us of what we believe: “Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (6:4). We believe in a God who loves us so much that he sent his Son to live and die as one of us, and in so doing to conquer death and give us all the promise of eternal life in the presence of God.
We affirm this belief each time we say the Apostles’ Creed: “He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” Jesus suffered and died—as we do. But then something miraculous happened, something which forever changed the way believers in God would believe about what happens after this life: Jesus was resurrected—and ascended into heaven. When Jesus did this, he opened the way for us to do the same.
When we die, we believe that this physical death is not the end for us, or for those we love. Rather, as Paul argues so compellingly, “if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (6:5). As we also affirm each time we say the Apostles’ Creed, we believe in “the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” Because all who are baptized into Christ Jesus are baptized into his death, likewise all who are baptized into Christ Jesus are baptized into his resurrection, which means we are assured victory over death and the promise of living forever in the presence of God.
Ultimately, Paul argues, “if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him” (6:8). Holding onto our faith in God, our faith that this statement is true, we believe that our friend Anise, who has died with Christ, is now living with Christ—through whom she has life everlasting. This does not mean it is easy for us to accept that Anise is no longer with us, sharing her bright smile, joyous laughter, and musical gifts. It is hard to accept this, and we are right to mourn the loss of her presence in our lives. Nevertheless, in our grief we can also find solace and hope in knowing that we believe in a God who cares for us and cares for Anise, and that in her dying Anise is now walking in the newness of everlasting life in Christ.
In closing, I invite you reflect with me this morning on these words from the Anthem that we say at the very beginning of our Rite II service for the Burial of the Dead (BCP 491):
I am Resurrection and I am Life, says the Lord.
Whoever has faith in me shall have life,
even though he die.
And everyone who has life,
and has committed himself to me in faith,
shall not die for ever.
As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives
and that at the last he will stand upon the earth.
After my awaking, he will raise me up;
and in my body I shall see God.
I myself shall see, and my eyes behold him
who is my friend and not a stranger.
—Becky+