This changes everything

“This Changes Everything.”  It is the title of a 2014 book on climate change, the name of a 2016 album by Cana’s Voice, and a 2018 movie about sexism in Hollywood.  And it could be the name of Jesus’ 2000-year-old autobiography if He had chosen to write one.  He didn’t but thankfully some people who lived at the same time did.  We call them “The Gospels” - the first four books of the New Testament.

Each Gospel writer has an unique style and purpose for writing.  Each one includes details the others don’t yet each one covers essentially the same material - the story of Jesus from His birth to His Resurrection.  They didn’t describe His life as a literary play-by-play.  They wrote looking back through the lens of Jesus’ ascension, His commission to the disciples and the beginning of the globalization of the people of God (we call it “church.”).  Their presentation of Jesus anticipates the newness of the Resurrection.  As they tell stories of people healed, raised from the dead, crowds fed, abusive religious leaders rebuked, and the celebration of humility, we see a Jesus radically different than what the Messiah was expected to be.  The nature of the Kingdom of God was not what they expected it to be.  Writing from the perspective of a risen Messiah they all understood, “This changes everything.”

Radically different. The Resurrection changes everything.  Sometimes it doesn’t seem that way.  Two thousand years of history have made it somewhat familiar to us.  We can’t imagine what life was like before the Resurrection.  We have never worshipped by bringing animals to our gatherings or celebrated a year of jubilee giving property back to their original owners.  Before the Resurrection, these were regular activities of those who worshipped the God of Israel.  Imagine how radical it was for those earliest followers of Jesus to set aside hundreds of years of tradition and culture.  It wasn’t easy.  In the story of the early church (the book of Acts) we have several stories of people being in conflict over old versus new. 

In and of itself, the Resurrection is a pretty impressive event.  It had never happened before and it hasn’t happened since.  This is one of the reasons why people question whether it really happened.  It feels safer to explain it away than it is to embrace the change it demands.  But if we accept the truth of the Resurrection, if we begin to understand its significance as a demonstration of God’s authority over all things, (Ephesians 1:20) then the Resurrection must have a radical effect on us as well.  For example:

Once for all reconciliation.
  From the very beginning, people have been reconciled to God by grace through faith.  Now our expression of that faith is radically different.  Unlike the complicated ceremonies and sacrifices of the Old Testament, rituals are now a very minor part of what it means to worship God.  We express our worship when we gather together and sing, pray and learn, and throughout the other 167 hours of the week.  The Resurrection means Jesus’ sacrifice for our sin is sufficient for all time, for all sin.  No religious calendar to follow, no rituals to complete.  We worship all the time, in all parts of life, and frequently in groups when we gather together.

Confidence in the King and His Kingdom. 
The Resurrection validates Jesus’ claims regarding His authority and Messiahship.  Coming back to life is a pretty good endorsement that the Kingdom of God is real.  We can have confidence to live according to the truths and priorities of His Kingdom because, compared to the Resurrection, everything else is pretty minor.  That isn’t to say there aren’t challenges, celebrations, laments, and discouragements.  It does mean we have a brilliant backdrop against which we can view those things.  And that leads us to . . .

Hope.  A key message of the Resurrection is it provides hope.  Paul said that without the Resurrection we are, of most people, the most miserable.  But since the Resurrection demonstrates God’s authority over sin, death and the grave, and since it affirms the Messiah and His Kingdom, we can live with hope no matter what.  That doesn’t mean perpetual happiness.  Even the early church suffered loss and sorrow.  What we do have now is the context for life and perspective on reality that says, “God, the Creator of all things who raised Jesus from the dead, is working to accomplish His purposes in us and through us.”  That is hopeful!

Living upside-down.  Yes, the Resurrection means life can be lived by going against the flow.  The greatest will be the least.  We manage our treasure portfolio with investments for eternity, not the temporary accumulation of stuff.  We forgive.  We extend grace.  We accept shame for the name of Christ.  We bless when we are cursed.  We serve.  We go the extra mile.  We live this way not because we are doing good things, but because the Kingdom of God is here and living through us.  We continue to represent the King in His Kingdom and steward the resources of the Creator in His creation.  And we do it hopefully and with confidence because of the Resurrection.

It changes everything.

Graham Bulmer
Lead Pastor
graham@q50community.com
Graham and Sharon Bulmer bring many years of pastoral, teaching, leadership development and administrative experience to the Q50 Community Church plant. They served in Latin America as missionaries for almost 15 years, and have pastored here in Canada.