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Holy Week resources and reflections

Claiming Resurrection in the Dying Church

Claiming ResurrectionClaiming Resurrection in the Dying Church
by Anna B. Olson
WJK , Louisville. 134 pages

 

This is a book of hope. It is also a book that speaks candidly about death – both the expected and the unexpected but necessary. What makes the book hopeful is the fearless way in which the author speaks of resurrection that follows death. She writes, “We cannot expect that resurrection in our churches will be any less frightening or any less hard to recognize or any less shockingly new than the resurrection that lies at the center of our faith.” There is an important distinction to be made here. Resurrection is neither revival nor resuscitation, both of which can be managed with skill and hard work. On the other hand, resurrection is God’s work and, the author repeatedly points out, comes only after death. This has been said before, but not quite as hopefully or courageously as Olson does. An Episcopal rector with experience in the trenches of the church, she says, “Resurrection is no easy way to new life. Resurrection is God’s alone. Our part in it is the dying part.” The book is a set of practices in dying because “it’s easier to talk about dying and rising, than actually dying.” The practices make concrete what is necessary for resurrection to occur. Of course, this makes it a paradox: There is nothing we can do but die, and yet we can pay close attention to the resurrection that is occurring in places of death, including our churches. This is a book of hope that we need at this moment.

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