One of the clearest biblical themes is that of death and resurrection. Virtually every single biblical story includes these motifs. Whether these moments are actual terminations of human life or whether these are endings of human seasons, these themes pervade the biblical narrative. God loves to kill and make alive. He loves to judge and restore. He loves to see day one end to bring about day two.
However we parse this time of global existence, we can conclude with utmost certainty that God is ending and starting new things. We may read of deaths near us, but God is still working loudly in the silence of our existential dilemmas. God does not hide in times of chaos, but he shows himself even more clearly. In fact, in such times he gives of himself so that we may receive more of him daily. Lamentations says that his mercies are new each morning, which means that God constantly makes things alive that was perhaps dead the night before.
Consider even now how God is transforming the dynamics of life. Things we once took for granted are now things cherished. When common biblical sense prevails over dangerous habits, God is making something new. We are becoming more attuned to what matters most. This re-prioritization is a newness in our lives. We are finding out that certain things we once idolized were psychological icons that needed to be put down. God gives and takes away and he takes away and then gives. He is the God of death and resurrection.
At the beginning of time, when darkness and void prevailed, God brought light. In fact, his first creational act was to illumine, resurrect the world with his light. So too, human formation in times of uncertainty brings to the forefront our creation projects whether good or ill. We are often content in keeping our lives dark and void; to hide our prejudices and proclivities; to avoid the resurrection light of Yahweh. But God is an ever-present help shining our way and challenging our deaths by providing glimpses of resurrection.
The Coronavirus may be with us for some time. If we use this time to refill our sin prescriptions or to bask in the darkness and void, we will never know Easter joy. We will never know the goodness of God’s resurrection project for our lives. But if we see that every new phase of history–however small–are opportunities to experience death and resurrection, then we are entering into that blessed project. And to whom much is killed, much is resurrected.
