The energy was overwhelming: shouts of joy, tears of happiness, loud music blaring and bodies flying everywhere! They had worked extremely hard to get to this point and they deserved every minute of celebration. There is nothing quite like a locker room after a huge win, especially one the propels you to the penultimate goal of winning the championship.
And therein lies the challenge for every coach. While you want to provide ample space for your players to enjoy a big victory, the job of the coach is to immediately start thinking about the next mountain to climb up and over. We’ve all seen those post-win interviews where the coach has a bit of a dazed and confused look – part pure happiness, part concern for what comes next.
Alleluia!
Christ has risen!
Christ has risen indeed!
Alleluia!
For those of us who have followed in the footsteps of Jesus through Lent, into Holy Week and on towards the triumphant celebration of Easter, we are more than overjoyed to shout our Alleluias! We once again can proclaim boldly that the darkness will not overshadow the light, that fear will not overcome love, and that life – new life in Christ – will not succumb to death. Alleluia!
The faithful followers of Jesus now deservedly find themselves in the Holy locker room with shouts of joy, tears of happiness and all sorts of life-giving emotions for the hard work that brought us to the Easter Alleluias. Let us bask in the moment.
But we are not quite to the “championship.”
The book of Acts greets us this first week of Easter with a friendly reminder: “This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.” With our joyful Easter exuberance deeply embedded in us, we are now called to take forth our Easter Alleluias into the world. We are witnesses of the resurrection, we are Easter people, we are called to take all the new life that is ours and bring it to every situation, every encounter we find ourselves in.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Embrace it – Share it – Live it!