"The powers of death have done their worst,

But Christ their legions has dispersed;

Let shouts of holy joy outburst,

ALLELUIA!"

I hope that the sounds of this wonderful hymn or the many others that are sung on Easter Sunday are still ringing in your ears and still stirring hope in your heart.  The music of Easter is truly a gift! 

The beautiful celebration of Easter Sunday is a high moment in the life of the church, but Easter is not just a day.  It is a season.  It is six Sundays that allow us to experience many dynamics of the resurrection.  Think about Christ's resurrection as it reveals the character of empire; shows the path to personal transformation; and indicates clearly the character of God.

We don't always proclaim the political nature of the resurrection, but Christ's rising after being put to death by the most powerful imperial force of his day, reveals that any and all of the systems which control and dominate by violence and force, though powerful, frightening and deadly do not have ultimate power.   The season of Easter allows us to imagine new possibilities and gives us confidence to work for them without fear.

Easter as personal transformation, not in some rapture to another place, but right here in this world.  This is a hope-filled sign of Easter.  The current patterns that hold, bind, addict, dominate, or even those that privilege us do not need to finally hold us forever.  Change can come.  Eternal life is life in the here and now, life lived in eternal meaning and constant transformation through the power of God.

Resurrection most clearly is about the character of God.  The Cross and the empty tomb show God is loving to the point of overflowing in sacrificial passion on behalf of all life.  The resurrection of Christ, the embodiment of God, puts to rest any harsh images of God and lays aside all images of violence and power that still cling to the holy and lifts up those qualities of generosity and graciousness.

We walked a Lenten journey, now let's walk the full season of an Easter journey.  "The song of triumph has begun.  Alleluia!"  Now keep singing!