This Sunday, we come to the eucatastrophe to end all eucatastrophes. What’s a eucatastrophe? J. R. R. Tolkien made the word up by combining the prefix “eu” (meaning good) and the word catastrophe. It’s a sudden and dramatic turn of events that results in the protagonist’s well-being; an incredibly happy ending. Speaking of the Bible’s story of redemption, Tolkien said:
“The birth of Christ is the eucatastrophe of man’s history. The resurrection is the eucatastrophe of the story of the Incarnation.”
The cross was where our greatest enemies – sin, death, Satan – were defeated. The resurrection was when “death itself would start working backwards,” to quote Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia. Following Narnia’s version of the resurrection, Aslan says, “And now to business. I feel I am going to roar!” And he began breathing on all those the evil queen had turned to stone, awakening them to new life. In the book of Acts, Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit to awaken disciples to walk in newness of life with an everlasting hope, sending them to take this good news to the ends of the earth.
This Sunday Erik Thoennes will be preaching Luke 24:1-12 and Walt Harrah will be leading our sung worship. Would you take time to read this passage and pray for each as they prepare? And take some time to pray that God would pour out a fresh dose of the joy Peter would later describe like this.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:3–7).”
See you Sunday, Grace. Come hungry!
SONG OF THE WEEK
His Heart Beats by Andrew Peterson
He breathes in, His living lungs expand
The heavy air surrounding death turns to breath again
He breathes out, He is word and flesh once more
The Lamb of God slain for us is a Lion ready to roar
And His heart beats