![]() The resurrection of Christ declares that our separation from God, our alienation from each other, our subservience to deathâall are overcome by a power that knows no equal. It constituted the seal of divine acceptance set upon the entirety of his life. Thus, the resurrection of Christ is no isolated event, a freakish wonder fit for supermarket tabloids. He fills his disciples with forgiveness first, and commands them to pass on this gift to others. Still marked by the wounds of the cross, the risen Lord appears in the midst of his disciples, offering the world forgiveness. This Jesus refuses to remain only a victim. But Christ submits to a world of indignities heaped upon him, punishments undeserved, in order to build a bridge between our sinful lives and the utter holiness of God. ![]() The return of Elvis brings with it no gift of forgiveness. Perhaps you have seen this phenomenon in someone elseâs life. The places where they were once wounded have become sources of strength, for grace has done its healing work. This resurrection process has never stopped happening since that first Easter Day. ![]() They are lifted from the narrow tomb of their former existence and thrust into the sunlight of a spacious life. The resurrection happens not only to Jesus, but, in a way, to his disciples as well. The cowardly, quarreling disciples, so often uncomprehending, so often impotent, become, through the resurrection, brave and united, perceptive, able to act. This transformation occurred in the first century. Encounters with the risen Christ turn lives around. The Elvis appearances leave people astonished but unchanged. The Christ who appears acts as a force for the future. The Elvis who appears looks like a memory from the past. The risen Christ, however, invites the inspection of his wounds, eats and drinks with his disciples, and organizes his followers for their mission. The Elvis who is sighted at shopping malls and fast food restaurants seems to make no more than a visual impression. As far as anyone knows, there is no serious claim that Elvisâ tomb is empty, and no one has bothered to check. To this day, neither friend nor foe has been able to produce his body. The answers to these questions can be found when we consider the Easter experience and the difference it makes. What difference is there between a risen Elvis and a risen Jesus? Is the Man from Mississippi on a par with the Man from Galilee because both are said to have come back from the other side? Can we dismiss the Elvis reports and keep the Easter story? The so-called appearances of Elvis also raise a question for Christians. You can call those who have these experiences crazy people and fringe elements who act out the secrets of a society: it needs, it wants its crises. But they do point to something significant in the psyche of the American people. What is happening here? I do not believe these reports are descriptions of objective reality. And now stories keep circulating that he has come back from the dead. Who is this, who had such a tremendous impact, died before his time, but was reported alive again? You may think weâre talking about Jesus Christ, but weâre really talking about Elvis Presley! He was once a cause for national controversy. He always took them by surprise, utterly by surprise. People familiar with his appearance saw him in one place, then another. So were many others.īut reports started to circulate that he was alive again. ![]() All the joys he brought, all the release and new life, came to a crashing end. Then, well before he reached old age, he met a tragic death. Those devoted to him sensed that a new era had begun. The authorities felt threatened it seemed like all the old ways were up for grabs. Crowds of people gathered wherever he was, fascinated by him. He rose out of obscurity and made a tremendous impact on his nation.
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