What Does the Resurrection Mean to You?

Dear Friends,

“If you know the Who, you can accept the what without ever knowing the why.”

These words were spoken to me at the burial service of a mutual friend. I remember quietly wondering, In my own time of trial, would I have that kind of faith? What does grief feel like as a Christian?

I did not have to wonder long. The very next day, I received the news that my beloved father had died unexpectedly. What is it like to grieve as one who lives under the promise of the Resurrection, surrounded by a community of faith? It is, in a word, devastating. I was shocked. I wept. My heart broke. I experienced all the deeply human responses that come with an untimely and unnatural loss. And yet… I did not remain there.

Before long, I began to feel the prayers of others lifting me—almost as if they were bubbling up beneath me—raising me out of the darkness. Not by my own strength, but by the power of prayer and the quiet, steady presence of God meeting me in the depths and drawing me back toward the light. In those early days, no earthly words could comfort me. But I found solace in Scripture. Not in devotionals or commentary, but in the Living Word itself, ministering directly to my spirit.

One Sunday, someone shared a story of answered prayer: their loved one had survived the very kind of accident that had taken my father’s life. My father’s story had not ended in that way. My heart broke again. Through my tears, I looked up and saw Jesus hanging on the cross above me. His story, too, did not seem to end well… until it did.

For the first time, I found comfort in the shared suffering of Christ. And as I continued to walk through grief, I was gradually drawn into the joy of the Resurrection. Because Jesus lives, my father lives also—and I will see him again. In a quiet and profound way, the Holy Spirit impressed this truth upon my heart: the very best of my father reflected God’s love—and that love has not left me abandoned or orphaned. I am still held, now and always, in the embrace of that same divine love.

Jesus’ promise in the Gospel of John has become deeply personal to me: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:3)

So I invite you—do not let the joy of Easter Day pass too quickly. Throughout this Eastertide, I hope you will join me in reflecting on this question: What does the Resurrection of Jesus mean to you?

Blessings,

Rev. Tara