Disciples, Apostles, and Saints!
We generally associate the word apocalypse with destruction and the world ending. But it really just means “unveiling”. And when we use the word in the church or scripture, we are most often referring to an unveiling of what God is doing.
We get to the destruction thanks to the genre of writing we call apocalyptic. Primarily because the unveiling of God’s plan means changing things in the world, bringing some things to an end—which can feel pretty catastrophic to the people who benefit from the way things are.
Apocalyptic also speaks to the Easter story. Because it unveils the lengths God will go to heal the world. It reveals the power and love of God to transform death and offer us a thriving life now.
As much as we like the flowers, the pastels, and the general life-affirming context of our experience of Easter, the apocalyptic character of the Resurrection is far more powerful. Because it unveils the nature of life and death for what it is. It forces us to confront our fears, frustrations, and disappointments. And it makes us embody a different way of living in our world now.
That different way includes less fear of death and more mercy toward others. A change of our own hearts and the willingness to forgive the change of another’s heart. And therefore, at the root of it, face what God is revealing about us—what we believe—and who we are willing to become in light of it, which can be scary. But Jesus reminds us that we shouldn’t fear it.
This is what’s real.
With love,
Drew