What does the resurrection mean for... The Church?

Now, as we embark on the Season of Easter-- the season where we live in the truth of the resurrection-- I want us to ask: "The resurrection: So what?" And for this coming Sunday, I want us to focus even more narrowly on this question: What does the resurrection mean for the church?

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. 

Some thoughts for you as you prepare for this Sunday:

The reading from Acts gives the biblical basis for communal living, and the Psalm passage echoes the theme. Tying the ideas of church and unity with the resurrection is the selection from the story in John's Gospel about the doubts of the disciple Thomas presents the church with many questions: How do we convince people today of the truth of the resurrection? If we claim to be the Body of Christ, shouldn't we bear the marks of crucifixion? What is the "this" about which Jesus said, "By this, all people will know that you are my disciples"? The truth of the resurrection for the church is, in part: We will love one another and prize unity in the Body.