“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life. Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”

Last week, a few worshippers stayed after Evensong on Tuesday to meditate on these words of Jesus (John 5:24-25).  We were invited to settle into our bodies… breathe comfortably….and then to imagine hearing these words as they were first spoken… picturing those who heard them around us….seeing their expressions… perhaps looks of incomprehension, the difficulty they had with these statements…  to hear the words echoing deep within us…. discovering our own difficulties with them… while face to face with Jesus in person.  What deadness in each of our lives might those words address?  What life is being offered?

In that same spirit, here’s a “Resurrection Alphabet” of spiritual practices. Have a look, and pick one …or more… to celebrate and share renewed life this week.

The Image is a handwoven tapestry altarpiece, From Darkness to Light, From Crown of Thorns to Crown of Victory, Else Marie Jakobsen, Norway, one of 100 works of art depicting the life of Jesus collected in Christ for All People: Celebrating a World of Art edited by Ron O’Grady.