In a few short days, churches around the world, including Highrock Brookline, will be gathering in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.  Many of these churches, including Highrock, will be encouraging regular attenders and newcomers to greet each other with the words:

“Christ is risen!”

“He is risen indeed!”

Usually, it is spoken with great excitement and energy. Speakers, presiders, lead worshipers sometimes use it to stir up the congregation, to muster up “joy.” 

Sometimes it works. People want to celebrate; be loud; be excited.  Other moments, and I’ve faced this before; I don’t feel “joyful”, but I put on a happy face and act appreciative of the day.

There must be more to these words, or is this just a Christian mantra that we recite once a year?

These words come from an early Church practice called the “Paschal greeting.”  It is an emulation of the words spoken by two disciples who encountered the resurrected Christ on the road to Emmaus.  When they realized that they had traveled, spoken, and almost had dinner with the resurrected Jesus, the scripture says this:

“And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” ~ Luke 24:33-34

When we speak these words to one another, we are proclaiming a truth about our Savior.  He died a horrendous death and He rose from the Grave…and He is still alive today!  These two events are the keystones of our faith.

Our faith in His death and His resurrection is the fountain from where our joy is fueled by (Phil 1:25).  Without these two events, our faith is misplaced and “our preaching is useless.”

Thus, the Paschal greeting we say to one another is meant to be a reminder, an encouragement to turn our eyes back to the foundation of our faith. It is an opportunity to say to others and to our own souls this life giving truth.  As we allow it to soak into our thoughts, we will find the joy that our brothers and sisters from the early Church days experienced.

Our Christ is risen…our Savior is risen indeed!