As Alison writes of this recasting of sin and God he adds
Furthermore, as it became clear that the whole purpose of raising Jesus from the dead was to make forgiveness possible (i.e., none of this happened for the benefit of God, and all of it for the benefit of humanity), so it becomes clear that that forgiveness stretches into our human death. That is to say, the forgiveness which flows from the resurrection affects not only such acts as we may have carried out, but, much more importantly, what we had hitherto imagined to be our very natures. If death is something that can be forgiven us, we were not only wrong about God, but we were fundamentally wrong about ourselves.
Okay this may take me a few attempts at some reflection here. Today is sounds to me as though the resurrection changes our nature. By that I think I am saying that we are no longer limited in our view of who we are when we are seen as the beloved of God. Usually the power of death defines us. Usually, we say sin defines us. When we do that, are we giving too much power to sin - right from the get go!? I don't mean that there is a suggestion that we get rid of sin. That is laughable. The evidence is too vivid. And yet, can we not say, "Yes, sin and brokenness and death are always among us - but, damn them. That is - to hell with them. That is, let us live as though God's love is a power that becomes us even in the midst of all of our old story telling." Is this forgiveness - this tomb now empty - this Jesus now alive - the making of a life in which we press beyond all that has been holding us in place and that the image of God really does shine?
Connection: This kind of life - this resurrection life - this forgiveness life, is powerfully fresh. It is also more power than I can even imagine. So again I fall back to that plea: Come, Holy Spirit, Come. That may well be the power that ushers in the unimaginable.
O God of life, you take us beyond our limits and our boundaries and make us into fresh new beings shaped by your love. Now, encourage us to set out and live. Amen.
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