Living By Faith

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Second Sunday of Easter BCP 224)

Alleluia! Jesus Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia! It is so easy to say these words. It always evokes a happy emotional response for me. Even after years of celebrating Easter, this news always makes me feel lighter. Yay! Alleluia! It is also wonderful to see people who don't normally attend church or think about God take a moment to celebrate the miracle of love that God has done in Jesus' resurrection on Easter morning. 

The kicker, of course, always comes with the second week of Easter. After we are all tired from eating ham or lamb leftovers and are fully loaded up on eggs and chocolate. The Book of Common Prayer gets to us with the Collect of the Day: "Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith." We are called to live out what we profess by faith, all those words we shout in joy about Jesus' resurrection and what it means for us. All those affirmations about God's love in the world, now is the time to show that in our lives. 

Thankfully, we don't have to try living out our faith by ourselves. We have each other and the wider community to help us live by faith. To show us what it means to show our faith in our daily lives. To help us when we fall away or make mistakes. Thankfully, we walk these fifty days of Easter together in affirmation of the faith we proclaimed on Easter Day. While we each have to figure out how to show our faith in our own daily lives, together we can encourage and lift each other up. 

Alleluia! Jesus Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!