On being risen with Christ
FIRST PART

One of the soul-stirring moments in our observance of Ester Sunday is when we sing that gospel song "He's Alive". We must never allow ourselves to forget the words; let their truth resound in our hearts to flood our spirits with Christ's presence. But our theme today is not that Christ is risen; our theme is "the Christian is risen indeed". For the truth of the Gospel is "we are risen with Christ."

One of the most beautiful passages in the Bible and at the same time perplexing is the familiar word of St. Paul in Colossians:

Since you are risen with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. For your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Now there are questions in my mind that leap out of these words: How can I be risen with Christ when I have not yet died and I am still in the phenomenal world? How am I to focus my thoughts and desires on things above where Christ is, when obviously they are too far beyond my reach?

And one more question: What does it mean for my life to be hidden with Christ?

The thoughts of St. Paul are most profound. But if we are able to answer these questions somehow, we could also grasp the Apostle's wonderful thoughts. For the truth of the Gospel is we are risen with Christ.

To begin to answer our questions, we must reflect on the nature of biblical language.

To be sure there are many passages in the Bible that are to be taken literally. But you will also agree that there are many passages that can only be understood if we view them figuratively. Take that sentence in the Book of Genesis where God was "walking in the garden in the cool of the day" looking for Adam and Eve. God walking! Does God have feet? No, but the way it is expressed is anthropomorphic. It describes God as if he were a man. So the description as figurative is clear, and the verse calls for a figurative interpretation.

The reason so many people miss the point of some biblical narratives and parables and theological passages is that they are too literal-minded in their approach to Holy Scripture. We look at the story of Jonah who is swallowed by the whale. And we rationalize how impossible it is for Jonah to survive for three days in the whale's stomach. And we miss the whole point of the story. The point of the story of course is God finds ways for us not to shirk our responsibility to proclaim his Word to those who must hear it.

So why should we take our passage from Colossians literally? Isn't it true that in daily speech, in literature, in our conversation, we often express better what we wish to convey in symbols? The accountants among us speak of a balance sheet; the economists speak of "frozen assets;" university administrators (as I once was) speak of an obstructionist as a 'bottle neck'. And when we say that a speaker rises to the occasion, we don't mean he physically rises to the ceiling of the auditorium. TO BE CONTINUED*

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