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Pain and Redemption, Loss and Hope: Ponderings on the Significance of the Resurrection

My earliest memories of Easter include new church dresses with hats and patton shoes, intense searches for plastic eggs with the rare $2 bill stuffed inside, and loads of Cadbury chocolate, complete with the resulting stomach-ache. The day came and went with a little bit of anticipation, but nominal impact on my day-to-day life.

As I grew up, the cognitive recognition that Easter celebrated something important, something critical, something that all of reality hinges upon, was not lost on me. However, the disconnect between head and heart can sometimes keep the significance of an event at a distance. I would reflect on its importance for a moment, perhaps at a Sunday service, but its formative impact quickly lost its potential on me as I turned my attention to the week and people and tasks ahead.

Until last year.*

Last year* was one of the most painful and stressful of my thirty-something years. For the first time my hope and zeal for life took a significant blow, as I experienced some considerable losses that left me emotionally and physically drained. A good friend of mine died too young. My dream of happily-ever-after looked less like a reality and more like a fairy-tale. People I cared deeply about were going through the most significant challenges of their lives. As deadlines and pressures and grief took their toll, anxiety and isolation became my close companions. The entire year seemed to be a reminder that life is messy and broken and ultimately uncontrollable.

But it’s not without hope.

When Easter Sunday rolled around, I sat at a sunrise service in the plains of West Texas, shivering on a cold, windy, dark morning as a small group of dedicated Baptists gathered together to sing hymns way off-key, drink horrible-but-hot coffee, and ponder the Resurrection. I stared at the cross, with my dad on my left and mom on my right, quietly and tearfully joining my voice with those of my fellow companions… “up from the grave He arose….” And as I pondered this truth, my hope arose, too.

Life. After. Death. This is the central theme of the Christian story. When the disciples of Christ lost their Lord to a brutal and horrific death, their world turned upside-down. Their expectations dashed. Their fear insurmountable. Their hope – completely devastated. In the waiting period between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, they were stuck in the darkness, destruction, and mess of life gone awry. As are we, as we live in the midst of a broken and fallen and confused world. It’s easy to lose hope when you lose things, people, and dreams you hold dear. Thankfully, the story doesn’t end with Good Friday. And our stories don’t end with our current losses. There is redemption. There is renewal. And there is Resurrection. For all of reality centers upon this one thing: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because of that central event…Christians have the potential for incredible hope.

Joining with the voices of the church throughout the ages, we proclaim that He is Risen. 

He is Risen Indeed.

Happy Easter!

*This post was originally published Easter 2014, yet the message of hope and redemption is timeless.

Dr. Michelle Pokorny serves as an Adjunct Professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, teaching D.Min classes on Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Disciplines, and Soul Care. Michelle developed a passion for women’s ministry during her college years while serving as a counselor at Pine Cove Christian Camps. Her desire to see women thrive in their gifting led her to DTS to gain a solid biblical and theological foundation. After receiving her MACE in Women’s Ministry, Dr. Pokorny began working with East-West Ministries, International, where she served in Human Resources and on the International Women’s Ministries Training Team. Michelle's doctoral work focused on burnout and soul-care among Christian leaders. Michelle is married to Mark and their favorite hobbies include traveling, exercising, and enjoying food and laughter with friends and family. They have one active toddler, Alexander.