What are we resting on? What next?

So, now what?

Post-Easter ...
After the cross ...
Through the resurrection ...

Now, what?

I think that is what the aftermath of the cross asks. What now? What do we do now? Where do we go? What's next?

Some will relax this week. For some, Spring Break has begun. For some, school re-opens. For some, it's simply been a time -- this past week -- where we went to church more than normal. Much more than normal. Any one time is more than normal.

I think one point is clear from early Gospel stories: The cross and the shed blood of Jesus saved us all, but the disciples of Jesus didn't understand that till much, much later. What they did understand is what the resurrection meant to them. It meant a whole new world.

The authenticity of Jesus' resurrection does not depend on the empty tomb. His body could have been stolen to make it appear that He resurrected or the disciples could have hidden it and rolled the big rock at the tomb's entrance to hide any evidence.

The decisive factor on the authenticity lies rather on the faith-experience of the early Christians reinforced by the post-resurrection appearances which indubitably convinced them that Christ indeed rose from the dead.

Sometimes, maybe most of the time, we have to simply learn to lead with our heart rather than our head. Did they immediately understand what was happening? I doubt that sincerely. I'm not absolutely certain I understand it a couple of thousand years later.

But what I do know, I know from the heart. My heart says it happened. My heart says it changes things. My heart says we are called therefore to do more than we're doing, most of us.

Rest? That's for those who have, as Paul would write, have fallen asleep.