Resurrection is written into the script of creation.
Every morning, we see it with the dawning sun. Every spring, we see it with the budding trees. Vibrant green after barren brown. Day after night. New life after death.
Death and destruction are almost always prerequisites for renewal. Forest fires seed the soil for a renewed ecosystem. Demo clears a way for new construction. Plants and animals perish so humans can live. Jesus Christ died so we can live eternally with him (1 Thess. 5:10).
Death gives way to new life. Pruned branches precede new growth. Good Friday sets the stage for Easter Sunday.
Resurrection is where everything points. It’s the catharsis at the end of an intense film; the soothing chord at the end of a jarring symphony; the object of creation’s groaning (Rom. 8:22). It’s what crowds go nuts for at the end of Avengers: Endgame, or in the climactic battle of The Two Towers. It’s the destiny of all who are in Christ (1 Cor. 15:22).
The “resurrection” season after the death of COVID-19 will be glorious, won’t it? Crowds will fill churches, beaches, stadiums, and sweaty subways again. Suburban neighborhood streets will pulse with the energy of cooped up kids now able to ride bikes and frolic with friends again, mask-less. Time’s Square, Trafalgar Square, St. Peter’s Square will bustle with tourists. The eerily light traffic of L.A. will give way to gridlock again, and we will welcome it! Long security lines at airports will be strangely comforting. We will flock to our favorite local restaurants and coffee shops, lingering there with newfound appreciation for the wonder of sharing third spaces with strangers. The ability to plan again will instantly lift our spirits. We will probably have a baby boom.
Unemployment numbers will gradually decrease. Stock indexes will stabilize. Long-shuttered schools, stores, and workplaces will reopen. Grocery stores and doctor’s offices won’t be places of fear and dread. Zoom will return to its rightful place in the “occasional use” realm of technology. Fresh air will never feel fresher. Hugs with friends and family members will never feel sweeter.
Maybe there will be a global day of celebration and thanksgiving. Or an entire week or month of it. Constant parades, fireworks, public concerts, food festivals, dancing, singing, dining, joy. Church bells ringing on repeat. Horns honking at random. Block parties and tail-gating at every opportunity. It will be like a Super Bowl or an Olympics opening ceremony, for weeks on end.
Easter for not just a day. Spring for not just a season. Sunrise for not just a moment.
For this we can hope, and even expect, thanks be to Christ.
Permanent resurrection.