Excerpt from Acts 4:32-35

"There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses, sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need."

Reflection by Talitha Arnold

It's April 15. Taxes are due tomorrow. Today is also Easter Sunday for Orthodox Christians and the Second Sunday of Easter for the rest of us. Taxes and Easter. What a weird juxtaposition of timing.

"Death and taxes," proclaimed Ben Franklin, are the only two certainties in life. But this year for Christians, it's taxes and resurrection.

This "post-Easter" story from Acts underscores that connection. The early Christians proclaimed "Christ is Risen!" They also turned their words into deeds and lived that Resurrection faith by sharing their wealth. Making sure that none were in need was the sign that the Risen Christ dwelt among them.

I know first-hand the connection between taxes and resurrection. After my father died when I was two, my mother received widow's benefits from Social Security that supplemented her teacher's salary. Thanks to people who paid their taxes, we had good public schools, a great public library, state and national parks, and a safe neighborhood. When my grandmother got sick, Medicare helped pay the hospital bills. My siblings and I went to college with the War Orphans Act of the GI Bill.

No, my father wasn't raised from the dead, but those tax-funded programs gave my family and me new life and new possibilities. I think that's a definition of resurrection.

In the Christian church, we have all kinds of symbols for Easter—the empty tomb, lilies, butterflies, eggs. Maybe our checkbooks and 1040's could be added to the list.

Prayer

God of new life, as we celebrate the Second Sunday of Easter and also pay our taxes, help us remember how our commitment to others is a sign of your Resurrection. Amen.

About the Author Talitha Arnold is Senior Minister of the United Church of Santa Fe (UCC), Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is the author of Worship for Vital Congregations, published by The Pilgrim Press.