‘Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, so we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. ‘
Romans 6:3-11 NRSVue
There is good news for the people of God today.
Christ was killed to thwart a political uprising. Crowds cried out in mockery and joy at the death of this so-called King of the Jews. His body was thrown into a tomb and a large stone rolled in front so that none of his radical followers would steal his body and fake his resurrection, stirring the masses into greater revolt in pursuit of a Kingdom Culture.
And yet, when the women went to his tomb, they found only grave clothes and their friend and rabbi who was breathing and talking. There is good news for the people of God today because God was killed but then God crushed the head of the Devil and starred down Death itself. And God got up.
Before this, the greatest moment in history, we were slaves to the deep, dark, terrible thing. We did what we did not want to do. We sold Jesus out in exchange for a little more time and told everyone we did not know him. We strived for our salvation in vain.
But God got up. And that is Good News.
It’s Good News for the parents of the stillborn baby, that there is life after death. It’s Good News for the addicts, that there is redemption even from things we can’t let go of. It’s Good News for the Pharaoh whose heart has been hardened, that even stones can beat again. It’s Good News for the beggar, that there are unfathomable riches saved for the least of these.
Sin and Death have had their day, but a new one has come and its light is bright and warm. Come and dance on your grave. Come and mock your disappointments. Come and shed your shame. Come and be embraced by the definition of Love.
Every single time we give in and die a terrible death at the hands of the Deep Dark Terrible Thing, with one utterance for help we are brought to life again, new and unblemished as a newborn. Let’s cling to this new life and flee from any fragrance of death. Let’s believe this life is available to whomever believes, not just those I love or like or tolerate.
We are the filthy and the righteous. We are death with a heartbeat. We are the loved and the lowly. We are the lost sheep. We have been found and are in our Father’s House.
Living Beyond 
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