The central metaphor of the Christian faith is life after death. The resurrection of Christ, of course, is the ultimate expression of this truth. Today's readings put a spotlight on the experience.

"Oh my people, I will open your graves," we're told in the first reading. "The Spirit of the one who rose from the dead dwells in you," the Apostle Paul writes in the second reading. "Lazarus come out," Jesus commands in today's Gospel. And after three days in his tomb, we're told "the dead man came out."

While we often think about our faith in terms of life after death, the season of Lent calls us to examine our lives to see if we are experiencing life before death. If the Spirit of the one who rose from the dead dwells in us, as Paul points out, then we ought to begin to experiencing the power of the Resurrection now. If we are not plugged into that power, then we might reflect on how to reconnect with God's saving love.

I don't know about you, but there have been times in my life where I've felt spiritually dead. I've felt alone and hopeless for extended periods, sometimes because of negative circumstances or strained relationships, and sometimes for no specific reason I could identify at the time. The announcement by God that the graves will be opened, and the dead released from their tombs, comes as wonderful news to those who feel they are lifeless.

When Jesus weeps before the tomb of Lazarus, those looking on say of Jesus, "See how he loved him." It is, after all, love that conquers death. The love of God is stronger than the pain that we endure, or the evil that we suffer.

The same could be said of us, while we wait from relief from the difficulties that feel so overwhelming. We struggle to see how God loves us when it seems that God is on the other side of a closed tomb.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us confidence not just that there is life after death, but also that there is life before death. We are promised it, and we are challenged to embrace the power of God's love now, today. We are called to respond to the voice of God calling us to life, and to resist the voices that tell us that this world is all there is, and that we must earn our way to happiness if we are to experience it at all.

God will open our graves. We will be summoned from our lifelessness. The same Spirit that raised Jesus Christ resides in us. It doesn't always feel that way in our lives. We are challenged today and in this season to rediscover that love that is so much stronger than any of the obstacles we face.

As we approach Holy Week, we would do well to reflect on whether we are experiencing God's love now. Where do we resist God's love? How can we experience it more fully? How can we allow God to overcome the difficulties in our lives? The afterlife can, and should, start now.

Bill Peatman writes from Napa.