Come, you faithful, raise the strain of triumphant gladness! God has brought forth Israel into joy from sadness, loosed from Pharaoh’s bitter yoke Jacob’s sons and daughters; led them with unmoistened foot through the Red Sea waters (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, 363; John of Damascus, ca. 696-754; tr. John Mason Neale).


F


ourteen centuries after John of Damascus wrote this Easter hymn, we still sing it to celebrate


Christ’s resurrection. As we sing, we remember the passing of the Israel- ites through the Red Sea following the passing over of the angel of death and the passing through death of the cruci- fi ed Christ to be raised up by God. T is is our paschal (derived from


Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew for “passing over”) feast: Easter, the feast of new life, of new beginnings, a pas- sage from death to life, from chains to freedom, from night to dawn, from tears to celebration. And all at the hand of God. God brought, God loosed and


SHUTTERSTOCK


Passage to newness


Living in hope as Easter people By Susan Palo Cherwien


30 www.thelutheran.org


God led, we sing in John of Damas- cus’ hymn. T e earliest Christian Easter proclamation was not “Christ is risen,” but rather “God has raised him up,” as the angel proclaimed to the myrrh-bearing women at the tomb. T is journey, this passage to liberation and joy, is from the hand of God. God brought. God loosed. God


led. God raised Christ from the dead. God is at work then and now in our lives. T e resurrection is not only a historical event but also a present-day rising up to new cre- ation through God’s deep and loving connection with each of us. Here is the beckoning and instigation of a loving, compassionate God who is always urging God’s people toward newness, toward becoming. Every stumble in life, every confl ict, every


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