It’s been more than a few years ago, we visited an Arizona Church on Easter Sunday. The Pastor, an acquaintance (it’s complicated), was creative with sharing the Gospel through pop culture and his Easter Sunday message was no exception. He was presenting the Easter story using various media and was at the part in Matthew 27:52-53 when Jesus gave up his life and the tombs broke open and the dead rose.

Adding extra illustration to the story the pastor played a short clip from the "Night of the Living Dead" (a Zombie movie)! My youngest son, four years old at the time, timed perfectly with a pregnant pause, turned to me and said in his outdoor voice "Wow Dad! Jesus is a Zombie?!

Folks had a good chuckle, and it provided for a teachable moment, assuring my youngest that Jesus was not a Zombie, but I could understand his confusion with the remarkable story of Jesus' death and resurrection. It just might’ve appeared Zombie-esque as people began to rise from the dead.

<insert less clunky segue here> I have often wondered why there seems to be such a cultural fascination with Zombies. I wonder if it is because many people can personally identify with the experience of living dead as a kind of hot-on-your-heels, soul-mutilating existential anxiety.

Like Zombies, wandering reflexively in search of life (via eating brains), perhaps many of us are looking for some tangible sense of living. Many describe feeling lonely and disconnected from life (and themselves) all the while chasing after anything with even a hint of a promise of vibrancy of life.

We are groomed to consume, aren’t we? And like PacMan (can you tell my age?) in god-mode, we consume, consume, consume - things, the planet and people. But sometimes, we awaken from our culturally inspired feeding frenzy to realize that all this consuming is not giving us the life we genuinely desire (and leaving us with wicked narcissistic-scented farts). Even those things which are celebrated in our culture, like success, fame and fortune often end up ringing hollow, even for those who reach the top of the ladder of success, only to discover it leans against the wrong wall. Doh!

Positive psychology suggests when we pursue happiness as an end goal, it tends to be elusive. However, when we pursue things that transcend our self-interests; things that are bigger, more and beyond ourselves - like serving and caring for others (or self-giving Love), we trip into a genuine sense of happiness and … life. When we give away our lives for love’s sake, we find more life. Counterintuitive, isn’t it?

While it is true that Jesus’ death and resurrection can be a source of rugged hope after death, it is also as much about abundant life here and now. Jesus understood this in a deeply profound way. In lockstep and inspired by his Abba’s Essentially Kenotic nature, Jesus’ message, his life was all about other-preferring love; serving, caring for, unrelenting forgiveness, healing and radical inclusion (justice). Or if you like, Salvation.

Please don’t misunderstand me. When I talk about abundant life, I am not talking about Jesus making us rich, big houses or driving fancy cars. I’m not talking about never getting sick, losing a loved one, underemployment, or struggling with relationships.

The abundant life that Jesus speaks of is an expansive love that spills out of the Divine community into real life in such a way that pickles all of life with meaning, belonging/acceptance and hope. A love that is calling and inspiring us to choose and act for a future of sustainable, equitable wholeness. And somehow in doing so, we find abundant life in the process.

Love liberates us from the crushing cultural consumption game by unmasking its lies about our value, significance and a sense of well-being dictated by fame and fortune,or some kind of religious perfection, what you own or control, or even the opinions of others. If we're gut honest, at some level we know this is all garbage and we know it's killing us, others and the planet.

As we learn to live into the God-who-is-Love, who inspires the currents of the cosmos, the "game" loses its appeal - setting us free to live and love well. This does not mean we won't experience prosperity or difficult things in life, but it does mean whatever happens, we are not alone and we can choose from a host of possibilities, and rest knowing that together with God we work to squeeze the most well-being possible out of every situation.

Feeling like a Zombie? Are you looking for life but no matter what you do you feel emotionally threadbare? Maybe you feel spiritually over-extended, or try as you might you’re burnt out on the ‘us and them’ tit for tat, dog eat dog kind of faith. Or perhaps you’re plain ol’ tuckered out just trying to keep it all together?

“… Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Mt 11:28-30, The Message)

The GOOD NEWS of Easter is for Zombies and … you!

Sola Caritas,

𝞃Michael

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