Matthew Fox is one of the primary contemporary theologians to articulate a renewed vision of the universal or cosmic Christ. Here, he focuses on the Resurrection’s cosmic implications:
Who does not seek Resurrection? Who does not seek a full and fuller life? Did Jesus not promise, “I have come that you may have life, life in abundance” (John 10:10)? How am I Resurrection … [and] Life for others?
To be Resurrection for another I need to be Resurrection for myself. That means I cannot dwell in [despair] and death and anger and oppression and submission and resentment and pain forever. I need to wake up, get up, rise up, put on life even when days are dark and my soul is down and shadows surround me everywhere…. I have to listen to the voice that says:
“Be resurrection.”… “Be born again. And again. And again. Rise up and be counted. Rise up and imbibe the good news deeply—that death does not conquer, that life, not death, has the last word….”
Fox insists that resurrection carries both grace and responsibility:
Resurrection is a commitment to hope and being reborn. It is a commitment to creativity, to the Spirit who “makes all things new” (Revelation 21:5). Resurrection is the Spirit’s work. It is the life of the Spirit.
And what about Life? How am I Life? How living and alive am I? How much in love with life am I? Can anyone or any event separate me from my love of life? Paul the mystic asks (and then answers), “Who shall separate us from the love of God? Neither death nor life, height nor depth, neither present nor future” (Romans 8:35, 38). Is my curiosity alive? My gratitude? My mind? My imagination? My laughter and sense of humor? My creativity? My powers of generosity and compassion? My powers for continually generating and regenerating life?
Many mystics … say, “God is life.” Thus to say, “I am fully alive and fully in love with life” means that I am feeling fully the God presence in me—I am in love with God who is Life; the living God. And to say “I am the Life” is to say “I am God,” or at least a part of God, a son or daughter of God, an expression, an offspring, a manifestation, an incarnation of God. Another Christ.
How are we doing? Are we growing in God-like-ness? In God action? In works of justice and compassion and healing and celebrating? To celebrate life is to celebrate God, to thank God for life, to worship. How are we doing in expressing the “sheer joy” of God (Aquinas) [1] as well as the justice of God?
Yes, I am, yes, we are, the Resurrection and the Life. We bring aliveness and rebirth and plenty of hope into the world, however [distressing] the news becomes. That is what it means to believe in Easter Sunday and the Resurrection. We become Resurrection and the Life. Christ rises anew.
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Sarah Young Jesus Listens
Mighty Jesus, When things don’t go as I would like, help me to accept the situation immediately. I realize that fantasizing about how things might have gone is a waste of time and energy. Moreover, I’ve learned that if I indulge in feelings of regret, they can easily spill over into resentment. I need to remember that You are sovereign over all my circumstances—and humble myself under Your mighty hand, casting all my anxiety on You. I can rejoice in what You are doing in my life, even though it’s beyond my understanding. You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In You I have everything I need—for this life and for the life yet to come. I don’t want to let the impact of the world shatter my thinking or draw my attention away from You. The challenge I face each moment is to keep my eyes on You—no matter what is going on around me. When You are central in my thinking, I can view circumstances from Your perspective. This enables me to walk with You along the path of life, experiencing Joy in Your Presence. In Your matchless Name, Amen
1 PETER 5:6–7 NASB; Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you.
JOHN 14:6 NKJV; Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me
HEBREWS 12:2 NLT. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. * Because of the joy* awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
PSALM 16:11. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Young, Sarah. Jesus Listens (p. 108). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
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