I think my favorite moment of the last month came on April 18th at about 11:30am. Myself and four other members of Organic were on our way back from the Buffalo River Clean-up that we had participated in earlier that morning.
The five of us along with three other Organic Faith members spent the morning cleaning up the paths and the riverbank of Ellicot Creek. We had all worked really hard and gotten more than a little dirty in the process. We properly disposed of bottles, papers, cans, tires, car batteries, candy wrappers, and everything in between. We were tired.
Due to our exhaustion and the temperature that beautiful spring day we drove the entire way home with the windows open. Sunlight poured in from all angles, the breeze cascaded into the car and on my car’s CD player the music of Nickel Creek played as the five of us exited the parking lot of Amherst Veterans Canal Park. I don’t know who said first it, but at some point during the ride home we all came into agreement that at that moment life was very good.
In light of the Easter event that we celebrated over the past month I can’t help but reflect on the ways that I experience the resurrection today. Ever Easter we talk about the resurrection of Jesus Christ – his victory of death and subsequently our victory over the death of our sins. This is certainly a powerful and exciting message, but what about the ways that we continue to experience the ways that our God can bring life from death.
Despite all the death in this world, despite all the fear, doubt and worry we are still blind-sided by moments when, quite simply, “Life is Good”. These are the moments when the power of life overcomes the many-faced powers of death and we experience the power of the resurrection here today.
I went to church on Easter Sunday, twice. However, I experienced Easter so much more fully a week later when as a community Organic Faith brought new life to Amherst Veteran’s Park. And even more fully when the jumbled soup of good music, sour muscles, spring sunshine, and a job well done all worked together against all deaths in the world to declare life is good.