Remember the Resurrection
1 Corinthians 15:1-2
"Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved."
Dear siblings in Christ throughout the world,
The Feast of the Resurrection is the feast of Jerusalem.
It is the feast of hope.It is always very special to celebrate the resurrection in the city where Our Lord Jesus died and rose again. It is humbling, every year, to see Christians coming to Jerusalem from every nation, joyfully proclaiming in many languages: “Alleluia, Christ is risen!”
Jerusalem is known as the Holy City, the City of God, the City of Peace. Others know it as a divided city. But for us Christians, it is also the City of Resurrection.
Christians in Jerusalem feel the resurrection in our very bones. For us, the hope of resurrection is not an idea, an opinion, or a story. It is the air we breathe, and the foundation we walk upon. The night may seem unending, occupation may enter a second half-century, and politicians may try to steal our hope--and still, we are the people of the resurrection, in the City of Resurrection. In Jerusalem, we know for certain that the Via Dolorosa ends not at the cross, but at the empty tomb. It is this knowledge which has empowered Christians to stand steadfast in this land for over two thousand years.
One might look at the situation in the whole world today and say, “What reason is there to maintain such hope in resurrection and new life?” In the United States, there have recently been multiple school shootings, as well as a serial bomber in Texas. In the first three months of 2018, more than twelve thousand have died in Syria. Millions in Gaza struggle to access clean water. Governments across the globe are experiencing unrest, and the threat of war between various countries is greater than ever.
None of this gives us reason to rejoice.
None of this gives us reason to hope.
And still, in Jerusalem we proclaim with Christians across the globe: “Alleluia, Christ is risen!”
Indeed, Christians do not look to the media for joy, and we do not look to politicians for hope. We look to them for change, and we expect it!
We look to the halls of power for integrity and responsibility, and we demand it!
But our hope is in the Lord.
Our hope is in the empty tomb.
Our hope is in the power of resurrection.
And remember: This power does not reside in the heavens, but is alive now in us, the Body of Christ in the world today.
We are the living witnesses of the resurrection.
We are the proclaimers of this Good News.
My dear friends, please remember that when the women arrived at the tomb that first Easter morning, the stone was already rolled away from the tomb. (Mark 16:4)
Remember that it was from Jerusalem that the news of the resurrection was first announced and shared with the world. (John 20:18)
Remember that just as the Son is risen, the sun of justice and peace and will rise over Jerusalem and over the world.
This is the Good News which we have received, in which we stand, and which saves us! (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)
And this is the Good News which empowers us to live, to proclaim, and to act boldly, and without fear.
For this reason, I believe that Arab and Middle Eastern Christians carry a unique responsibility to remind our siblings in Christ that the resurrection is our hope, our joy, and our strength.
We have the special calling to remind others, even in the midst of our own struggles, that the Risen Lord desires for all people to enjoy life, and life abundantly. This is God’s Good News, not only for the Holy City, but for every city, and for every nation.
Christ died and rose again so that all nations could live in peace with justice.
Christ died and rose again so that no child would die of hunger in a refugee camp, or of gun violence in her school classroom, or as a nameless casualty in yet another war.
Christ died and rose again so that all people, everywhere, would know equality, liberation, security, and joy.
The oppressed and the dying do not need official statements or supportive tweets. We need real action and real martyria (sacrificial love and witness) for the sake of the One who died and rose again—and for the sake of the world He loves.
Because Christ is risen, I maintain the sure and certain hope that Jerusalem will soon be a City of Peace, a City of Justice, a City of Reconciliation, a city for two nations and three religions, a safe haven for people of faith from all over the world.
Because Christ is risen, we all possess the sure and certain hope that walls will fall, and wars will cease, and guns will become tools for planting and harvesting.
And because Christ is risen—because we are raised with Him—the Church can be the sure and certain hope for our neighbors who are suffering.
For this reason, I pray that the Church, the Risen Body of Christ today, will boldly proclaim the Good News in word and in action:
Alleluia, Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed, Alleluia!Al-Masih qam! Hakan qam!
+Bishop Younan