An Easter message from the President
April 20, 2025
Reflections on the meaning of Resurrection
“For since death came through a human, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human.” – 1 Corinthians 15:21
In Jesus’ death something new is being born. It’s not unlike at the beginning of creation, when out of chaos and deep void came light and new life. At the precipice of ruin, defeat, and fear, Christians claim to come face to face with the possibility of a transformed reality, one in which death is not avoided or escaped. Instead, death is transformed into a life and an existence that confronts the forces of empire and defeats the agents of despair and fear. As Jesus stared into the face of his persecutors and eventual executioners, he entered liminal space where the prospect of transformed new life became not only a possibility, but a reality.
On Easter, we usually sit with Jesus’ words, his voice that calls to Mary Magdalene, “Woman, why are you weeping?” And yet, this year, my heart is drawn to the disciples, who dare to preach the risen One even though they are surrounded by Rome’s imperial force and brutality. On such intimate terms with death, they also perceive being on the precipice of new life and have the courage to declare, “All will be made alive in Christ.” They experienced what the psalmist described, “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” They speak their world not as it is but as it still might be and challenge us to do the same.
“Resurrection of the dead has also come through a human,” Paul writes, but the empty tomb is not the only testament to this new life. God’s intention to transform death into new life flows from every person moved by the Holy Spirit, who lives that we might know the Kingdom not in some distant hereafter but presently and powerfully among us. It is true that humans bring death—too often and too willingly. And still God promises this gathering cloud will not have the final word.
I know this is true, because I see it in this community. I am a witness to resurrection in every student who seeks a life in ministry, committing themselves to the holy work of shepherding God’s people. Our faculty’s scholarship nurtures life, seeding different ways to understand God, our faith, the world, and ourselves. I watch our alums carry this vibrant hope into the world, laboring for the koinonia that is already being born, cultivating communities of justice, compassion, and hope. Yes, I hear the ominous strife, I feel the weight of despair, fear, and loss, but our commitment to the God of life and love and to one another is what will write the future.
“The last enemy to be destroyed is death,” writes Paul, and that work is calling to us and among us. It’s not always flashy. It usually doesn’t make headlines. Like the one who came to his own tomb dressed as a gardener, our goal is not recognition. But determined love shapes our world in its image and reveals the impotence of vengeful power. The stone is rolled away. Death’s hold is broken. God’s will be done. Resurrection endures.
Happy Easter,
President Javier A. Viera