'He is risen. He is here.'

And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. --Mark 16:6

But as I told the congregation at St. Mary this morning:

He is risen. He is here- in the Word and in the Sacrament, sharing His victory over death with us.... I have yet to hear of anybody receiving Holy Communion from a caddy, hearing a good sermon preached by a walleye, or receiving Holy Absolution from a blue jay. A cardinal, maybe- but not a blue jay.

Jesus is God, and God is present everywhere, including golf courses and the great outdoors. But only here is He present to share with us His victory over death. Only here does He give us not merely information about Himself, but Himself; only hear does He give us not instructions on how to survive death, but His own resurrection life.

We do not need information about Him, or even from Him. Our plight us much more serious than that. The only thing that can save us from this body of death is Jesus Himself- and because He is risen, He is here.

May you share regularly in the antidote for death- the Word of the Gospel and the Blessed Sacrament- that you may share in his resurrection life.