He Is Risen!
This past Sunday was Easter Sunday, and this week we reflected on the resurrection and the story it invites us into. Focusing on the conversion of Cornelius, the Roman centurion (Acts 10:34-43), we thought about the stories that formed his world, and why it mattered that Peter came with the narrative of the resurrected Jesus, not simply to tell of life after death, but to change life as we know it. Jesus comes and dismantles the stories of oppression, colonization, and death that we have been formed into and invites us into eternal life in the present. Where the powers of the earth are not Lord; where death is not the last word; but Jesus is Lord, who comes in life and forgiveness.
As part of our reflection, we focused on James Baldwin’s letter to his nephew. Here, Baldwin speaks to his nephew about how to engage with those who perpetuate and benefit from the systemic racism of America, all while remaining with a criminal “innocence” to the real structure of the world. The resurrection message, deconstructs that innocence, and offers a world as it really is.
Pasadena Mennonite Church 