Resurrection Meditation

Meditation on the Resurrection of The Lord
By Rev. David Sonmor

This meditation is based on the incident of the Lord's resurrection, principally as it is described in Chapter 20 of the Gospel of John.
The resurrection of the Lord corresponds to the beginning of your own regeneration as a spiritual person. For you this is not a single incident in time but reflects the rising of the Lord's love and wisdom in your mind and life every day and even every moment. It describes your continuing rebirth as a Christian.

The resurrection also portrays the glorification of the Lord; the process through which His human nature, derived from His mother Mary, became fully united with His Divine Nature, which is called The Father. It was truly a miraculous event.

Now I would ask that you relax and let your mind rest as you read the Word of God and this meditation as they describe the Lord's resurrection and ascension into heaven.

"Now on the first day of the week, at early dawn, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw the stone already taken away from the door. And so she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, 'They have taken away the Lord and I know not where they have laid Him.'"

Place yourself in this scene. Imagine yourself being there to witness the events. It is the first day of the week, just three days after the upsetting emotional turmoil of the passion of the cross. During the night you have come into the garden where the body of Jesus was placed in the tomb... As you sit amidst the flowers and olive trees the fragrant smell of spring blossoms permeates the air and fills your senses. You relax as you breath it in and your mind quiets and drifts off to pleasant moments you recall having spent with the Lord.... Just before dawn, with the faintest hint of light peeking from the east, you notice a woman quietly approaching. It is Mary Magdalene. You feel a welling up in your chest of the loving nurturing part of you that seeks union with the Lord. She walks toward the tomb, and as you look in that direction you are surprised to see that the stone has been rolled away from the entrance. You see the opening in the rock and you feel an opening of your thoughts toward the Divine Truth that can help you to understand what is going on. Mary seems quite upset. She kneels before the tomb and bows her head in prayer. She then gets up and departs to find the disciples in order to tell them that the Lord has disappeared. Your natural mind seeks understanding from the natural things with which it is familiar.

John, who represents those who are in the good of love arrives first. He goes to the door of the tomb and looks in, but he does not enter. Peter, who represents the good of truth, comes rushing up behind him and enters the tomb only to find it empty except for a cloth and some linen wrappings. He confirms that the body of Jesus is gone. Sadly they back away into the garden and then turn and slowly go back to their own homes. Those who are in the good of love and the good of faith realize that they can do nothing without the Lord. When they feel the Lord has left them or been taken from them they are at a loss, and can think of doing nothing but returning to the security of their homes, and wait for the Lord to become present once again in their lives. You retreat into the goodness of past experience where you feel safe and know there is comfort. Mary, however, stays. She is saddened and grieves so to have lost her beloved Jesus. As you visualize her kneeling before the tomb with her head bowed in prayer, you too feel a strong need to be close to- the Lord. To experience His presence again in your life as you have previously felt Him guiding and supporting you through your daily activities.

Mary enters the tomb and there she sees two angels. One is sitting at the head and one at the foot of the place where Jesus' body had been laying. Your entering into this state expresses your desire to be with the Lord always and to have His will become your will and to act according to His will. The angels ask Mary why she is weeping. The question seems absurd coming from those who are so sensitive to human feelings, but it shows that they themselves are not sad because they know that He is alive and that the world has not lost Him. There is a part in you that also understands and feels the vital life of God within you. The angel at the head is the influence of Divine truth at the highest level of your comprehension and the angel at the foot is the influence of Divine truth in your understanding of the most basic things of nature and your daily life.

Becoming aware of the Source of all your understanding is the first step in your reunion with the Lord. Mary turns and sees Jesus, whom she at first takes to be the gardener. But He speaks her name and she knows it is the Lord, her beloved teacher and friend. She answers back, "Rabboni". You now know for sure, within your heart and soul, that the Lord exists, that He is real and that you can relate to Him and live within the sphere of His loving influence.

This recognition of the Lord from within is a huge step forward in your regeneration, for now you can be sure and comfortable within yourself that He lives and is there for you. From now on it will not be difficult to open yourself to His presence and to feel Him operating in your life. Some natural parts of you may still doubt and need convincing but inwardly you are sure. You have grown spiritually and your life has gained new meaning.

On the evening of that first day of the week Jesus appears to the disciples. He is beginning to influence that part of your life that has heard His Word but still lacks the certainty and confidence to go out and share your joy and understanding with others. The disciples require positive proof that it is really the Lord who is there in their presence. And so, He must show them the holes in his hands and the wound in His side. Once you believe both inwardly and outwardly in the existence of God then you are ready to share this with others and to lead the kind of life that leads to heaven and eternal life.

The Lord appears to the disciples many times as they experience Him daily in their lives and are so close to Him at all times. Being so open to His presence they are ready to receive the Holy Spirit and the Lord breathes this spirit into them. Your regeneration will proceed rapidly now. And as the story describes the process of the Lord's glorification and as He becomes one with the Father in every sense, You feel yourself becoming at one of God. The love and truth in your life comes from Him and as you acknowledge it and share it with others you are returning it to Him and He gives you even more. As with the disciples in Galilee you can walk with Him and dine with Him. Your regeneration is leading you to union and oneness with your God.

0 Lord, we thank you for your Divine gift of love. We thank you for bringing spiritual and emotional growth into our lives. Renew my life Lord Jesus, so I may live in you and you in me forever. Amen.

This Meditation is available on audiocassette.
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Meditation: The Passion of the Cross