IS
I am, You are, He is
I was, You were, He was
I will be, You will be, He will be
When was the last time you thought about conjugating the very IS. Unless you teach English, or maybe are a writer, I bet the answer is “never.” Why would you?
I have no idea how many times in my life I have said or sung, “Christ is risen. Or Christ has risen.” Hundreds, thousands, I am sure. And I’ve never once thought of the difference between the subtle meaning of those two statements. But on Easter Sunday I found myself thinking about it a lot, thanks to Father Ryan’s sermon and his reference to Sir Stanley Spencer’s paintings. The idea that Sir Stanley could capture a moment of the physical resurrection of the village where he was born captured my thinking. I found the picture online and could study it for hours.
More than anything the painting and the words Christ IS risen brought to mind in a way I had never before considered that Jesus’s Resurrection is a daily, continuing, present event.
Jesus rose from the dead. Resurrection IS. I can worry about needing a cane to take a long walk, or remembering who I am as I grow older, but I need not worry about what will happen when I take my last breath.
Because…
Jesus’s resurrection IS. Christ IS risen. Alleluia.
Barbara Kautz
Lynge, Denmark
April 17, 2023
PS Sir Spencer’s Resurrection paintings (there are more than one) are in London’s Tate Gallery. To see the painting Father Ryan referenced click here.