In the months following last November’s election, many of us experienced deep grief and anger. We were, in fact, terrified, amazed and afraid. We turned some of that anger we felt into action—the Women’s March and other actions and rallies gave us ways to channel that energy that arose from our fear and anger.

But now that some of that initial anger has subsided, we have entered into a new phase of darkness. Some of the energy we felt and the actions that we started have since diminished.

But, as I said in my recent Easter sermon, now is the time to practice resurrection. Now is the time to labor, to breathe together, and to push. To breathe and to push. To keep on breathing and keep on pushing until something new has been born and the darkness of the tomb has been transformed into the darkness of the womb.

Practicing resurrection is not necessarily a glamorous undertaking—much of the work that needs to be done is tedious, time-consuming, and often frustrating. There is no easy short-cut to resurrection or a world made new. And there is no guarantee that our hard work will pay off in the short term.

But, as Unitarian Universalists, who believe in “deeds not creeds,” we know that breathing and pushing is what we must do if we are to be true to our commitment to living our values in the world.

This commitment means keeping up the pressure on our elected officials to enact more compassionate and just legislation and policies. It means reaching out to those who are oppressed and marginalized in our country and offering our support and our solidarity. It means being willing to take risks in order to transform ourselves so that our world might be transformed.

As spring is bursting forth all around us, it is a good reminder for us to keep doing the hard work of transformation and resurrection ourselves—breathing and pushing as we go.

–Rev. Jim Magaw