Mouths Full of Easter

On this day and throughout this season, we say, He is risen/He is risen indeed! Our mouths are full of this blessing. And so it is that God would have us, His people, have resurrection mouths, Easter mouths. Mouths full of resurrection blessing and life. 

But it’s so easy whether by long bad habits or surprise disappointments or festering bitterness or anger for our words to be ugly, biting, resentful, malicious. But all of those words, the words that bite and devour, the words that criticize and accuse, they are words of fear and despair. They are words of the grave. They are words of death and decay. But when we say Christ is risen, we cannot despair. We cannot fear any more. 

So think about a situation where you are tempted to snap, to bite, to curse, to lash out – whether with your spouse, your children, your parents, your boss, maybe a complete stranger – maybe it would be openly in front of everyone, or maybe you’re the type to hold it in with a smile, while the storm erupts underneath the surface, under your breath, or later in the car or in your room alone. 

But whatever the situation, look at it straight in the face right now. They insulted you. They snubbed you. They disrespected you. They forgot you. They misunderstood you. They blamed you. Whatever. Do you have the situation in your mind? Can you see it? Now recognize that no situation that you can imagine is worse than a corpse in a grave. Imagine that hurt, that pain, that disappointment, that injustice – your fear is that it will be the last word, that it will be a grave with a stone that cannot move and you’re trapped inside. But you have the answer to every grave, to every grave situation. The answer is He is risen. The answer is that Christ is risen from the dead, and therefore everything that is in Him will rise with Him. 

So don’t just say it here on Easter Sunday or at church during Easter season. Say it all the time. Say it under your breath. Say it out loud at home. And if you need to, when a moment seems to be getting a little tense, just say, He is risen. Think it in your head: He is risen. Say it and mean it until your mouth and heart are full of it. Jesus rose to make all things new, including our mouths and our tongues. He rose from the dead to fill our mouths with blessing. 

Photo by kazuend on Unsplash