The Gift

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. John 11:26 (King James Bible).

Mission Chrch, San Jose del Cabo, Mexico

The Resurrection story. To a Believer, it is a promise, a covenant...a contract. He died, that we may know eternal life in the presence of God the Father.

In a very real sense, it is more than just the key to a great beyond. The writer in me reads a challenge, not just to believe but to live up to the promise.

Jesus does not say "believeth in only me." That some individuals might read it that way isn't his fault. While taking classes to be confirmed into the Presbyterian Church in Pittsford I was taught not just to revere the words in the Bible, but also to respect other faiths, other religions...other ways of coming to the Lord. I was taught that faith is an individual pursuit, one that begins in the heart of each person.

The Resurrection is also about life while it is being lived. Much of the Jesus story is about how the future is not yet written for us, even as his father had plans for him. Nothing in history, said historian David McCullough, had to turn out the way it did. A new day can dawn, not just literally but in the way they are cherished, and in how we see ourselves.

Happy Easter, not only for what was, but for everything tomorrow could be.