With much less fanfare, and with no sailors nearby, a couple of us opened our Lenten Ark a few days before Easter, in which were stored mini-Alleluia banners made by some of our Sunday School children. These banners were “released” so that they could be transported across the Atlantic Ocean, by one of our members visiting Tanzania, with their final destination being our companion congregation, Busoka Lutheran Church. There they served as an Easter proclamation and encouragement to those who are still in the process of rebuilding their church, which had been seriously damaged in a storm.
Now hang with me for a moment, would you? I recognize that the mythic kracken was a beast that invited fear, and our cries of Alleluia! voice nothing but joy and hope. However, both possess power. Both are equipped to change the world in which they are found. Speaking for our sacred Alleluia, this word cries out to us the heart of our faith – Jesus being raised from the dead … Jesus alive again … Jesus living within us and around us! I wonder sometimes, whether we give those words the power and credit due them. What would your life be like if you went about your day with a concrete sense of Jesus walking at your side? What would be different in your world if the words you spoke were truly Jesus’ words? What would look different for you if “Christ is Risen!” were a daily visceral reality and not solely a once a week liturgical response. What would change if the power of “Alleluia!” were tangibly released in your life. You’ll never know if you never try it.
