[Sundaycommunity] “Death has lost its sting” - Embracing Resurrection and Transcendence

[Dave Snelgrove]

Thank you, Arthur.  This Easter reflection is particularly potent this
year.  Move toward the light, anytime we start feeling overwhelmed by the
dark.  You flashed this out well.  Rosemary

On Fri, Mar 29, 2024, 1:14 PM Arthur Blomme via Sundaycommunity <
sundaycommunity at lists.integralshift.ca> wrote:

> My reflection for this Easter.
>
>
> “Death has lost its sting” - Embracing Resurrection and Transcendence
>
> We gather this Easter in the shadow of a world fraught with fear, where
> the drums of war and genocide beat loudly. The specter of death looms over
> us as we blind ourselves to the malevolence of the powers and
> principalities.
>
>  Yet, amidst this turmoil, we hold fast to the Apostle Paul’s profound
> declaration: “Death has lost its sting,” a statement that encapsulates
> transcendence as the essence of the resurrection.
>
>  The resurrection is the act that transforms the narrative of death into
> a narrative of life; from one of defeat, to one of victory. It is not
> confined to an event in history but is an ongoing reality that elevates us
> beyond the limitation of our status quo perspective of reality.
>
> In times of conflict and uncertainty, the fear of death can be a powerful
> tool in the hands of those who seek to control and manipulate. It is a
> sting that pricks the heart, sowing division and despair.  We can observe
> in our midst that people of good faith are polarized by narratives
> promoting war and hate.  As a friend has said each side of the polarized
> political factions is convinced that the “other side” is hurtling toward
> fascism.
>
> Our instinct for survival moves all of creation away from the spectre of
> death.  A single celled organism shuts down its creative energies to
> protect itself from the toxicity. Members of the animal kingdom when they
> perceive danger automatically focus on fight or flight. In the absence of
> danger they grow and flourish in the land.
>
> Humans on the other hand are semantic beings and we have to contend with
> toxic meaning that drives us to a death of spirit.  If we succumb to
> toxic meaning like fear, hate and self-centeredness we engage in this move
> away behaviour and our ability to create and love is dampened.
>
> We might say that we have two classes of motivation in creation.  We are
> either motivated to move away from death or to move toward growth and
> transcendence. A fear mindset   causes us to move away from death while a
> growth mindset motivates us to transcend toward the fullness of life and
> creativity.
>
> The quote from the Apostle Paul speaks to a spiritual overcoming of fear,
> particularly the fear of death. It suggests that through faith in the
> resurrection, believers can transcend the paralyzing effects of fear. The
> quote implies that the ultimate fear—death—has been conquered, and
> therefore, the things that typically incite fear lose their power.
>
> For the early Christians, this victory signifies a new reality where
> believers transcend the fear of death, anticipating the New Jerusalem
> descending from the heavens or the mustard seed that is the Kingdom of God
> in our midst.
>
> The resurrection teaches us that life is more than what we perceive. It
> invites us to look beyond the propaganda, to question the narratives that
> drive us towards fear and division, to instead seek truth, beauty, goodness
> and unity of the human family.
> Arthur Blomme
> March 28th, 2024
>
>
>
>
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