The Mission of Easter
The Mission of Easter
“In the Christian story God descends and reascends. He comes down; down from the heights of absolute being into time and space, down into humanity; down further still, if embryologists are right, to recapitulate in the womb ancient and pre-human phases of life; down to the very roots and seabed of Nature He has created. But He goes down to come up again and bring the whole ruined world up with Him.” CS Lewis, Miracles, p 115
Good Friday and Easter Sunday are at the very heart of Christian mission. God comes to us in Jesus, not simply to identify with us, but to reconcile all things to him (Colossians 1:20). As CS Lewis suggests, in Jesus God comes down “to recapitulate in the womb ancient and pre-human phases of life; down to the very roots and seabed of Nature He has created” in order to rise up again and restore the world to him.
The heart of mission in not about ‘being saved’. It is an invitation to us to descend into the spaces of pain, hurt, question, and confusion of those who do not yet know Jesus, and to ascend alongside others, as they discover the hope and the promise of the gospel. It is about participating with God to restore all things into his plan
May God enliven you with the incredible gift of grace and of the Gospel this Easter season, so that his love for you fill you with the abundance and fullness of joy that is ours in His abundant life.
To think about or ponder:
What might it mean to descend with others ‘into the spaces of pain, hurt, question and confusion’?
How do you understand God’s desire to restore all things?
Who is God inviting you to walk with?
