Resurrection Sunday Still Matters

The literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is the linchpin of the Christian faith.  It doesn't matter which denomination or slant you derive your Biblical understanding from, Easter Sunday is a big deal.  It is perhaps, the biggest deal.  In my humble opinion, it is even more important than Christmas and Good Friday.  It is the key to understanding how we fit in to God's overarching view of salvation, eschatology, and theology.  The resurrection of Christ is like God's approval stamp on the life and ministry of His son.  It's akin to the angels in Heaven announcing through a megaphone: "God has come into the world, and you need to listen to Him!"  

I won't spend much time debunking the liberal claim that Easter represents a "spiritual resurrection" only, since there is so much information and historical data out there which points to the fact that it actually (physically) happened two-thousand years ago.  If people adhere to the idea that Easter represents a spiritual awakening only, then they are missing the main thrust of God's plan.  Namely, that those who believe in Him will never parish, and will also have eternal life (John 3:16).  

If we think back and imagine other historical events that shaped history, it's easy to see how timelines can overlap and build upon each other.  Take for example, the invention of the printing press in the middle ages.  This incredible machine was responsible for reproducing the Bible for others to read and pass down through the generations.  Today, this amazing book has been translated into roughly 736 languages across the globe.  Imagine the impact this has had on faith conversions and evangelism.  Regular everyday people can now read the Bible for themselves, without depending on a bishop or cardinal to interpret the Scriptures for them.  It revolutionized our faith.

In the same way, Easter Sunday is our annual reminder that Jesus came to Earth, spread the Gospel message, and then died and was resurrected to save us from our sins.  There is much less fanfare in our country over Easter than for the Christmas shopping holiday, but the resurrection is no less important.  If it hadn't  happened, churches would have nothing to talk about.  They would be like social meetups or country clubs.  

1 Peter 1:3 says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."  And dead in our sins we would be, if it wasn't for our Lord and Savior.  

John Wesley (founder of the Methodist faith) once said that he feared someday the church would end up mimicking the appearance of spiritual fortitude, but without any real power behind it.  Some have argued that this is where many lukewarm churches are today.  Great music, entertaining liturgy, but not much of a Gospel message.  Churches that don't preach Christ crucified are in this boat I think.  And it's a comfortable boat: a lot like a cruise ship - sailing through an  ocean of lukewarm water.  But it never actually reaches a spiritual destination.

The captain makes sure never to pilot the vessel into dangerous choppy water, so the passengers don't know what fighting for their faith looks like.  Just an endless voyage in a comfortable floating bubble, guided by human beings instead of the Holy Spirit.  For boats and ships like this, Easter Sunday means just dinner with the family and maybe watching some sports on television afterwards.  Maybe some good praise band music at church if they are lucky (if they attend service at all).  

But for Christ centered churches, the resurrection drives and motivates them.  It's like Superbowl Sunday for the faith.  The sermon is important, and the music exists to help drive home the Gospel message and assist us in worshipping the Creator.  These churches are repeating the megaphone message from the angels: "Wake up world, and acknowledge the King of Kings!"  

So if you attend church on Easter Sunday, remember the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf, so that we could have eternal life.  Ruminate on the notion that Christ removed the sin barrier stopping us from reconciling with a Holy and just Lord.  And then, by all means, go home and enjoy dinner with the family and some television afterwards.  There may even be an egg hunt; but not before you praised and worshipped God for the empty tomb.  

Then don't get back onto the lukewarm cruise ship.  Let it stay docked idle in the harbor.  Pray for those who are funneling back up the ramp and onto that ship though.  Ask God to show them a better, spirit-driven life based on the resurrection.  And remember that Christ's offer to you and I for salvation is always open.  We need only answer back, and allow Him into our boat.  God is a much better captain.  

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Pray for Trust, not Clarity

How many times have you worn out your knees praying to God for a concise piece of instruction or clear direction?  In our current immediate gratification culture, we are accustomed to receiving information quickly.  Trips to the library are often replaced by web searches, and Google has become our wise older grandparent who gives advice.  We have all heard the phrase "we are surrounded by information, but not wisdom."  And surely this has borne itself out as true over time.  

The truth is that most of our current human interactions have been documented in the Bible already, so often we can simply look back through those pages and figure out God's will for ourselves.  Think of Scripture in this way as a human how-to manual.  If you are being persecuted for example, then look to the Psalms of David.  If you are struggling with indecision, then look to Paul's letters and epistles.  You get the idea.  

But we all face certain trials occasionally, where it feels as though the Lord has permitted us to go through more than we can bear.  It then becomes normal to seek out advice from sources other than the written Word alone.  We need to talk it through; we need to pray for trust.

How exactly can we trust God?  Let's look at four ways that help us engage with His amazing and omnicient mind.  Each rung on this spiritual trust ladder builds upon the previous one.  And we begin with getting to know God as a sentient being.  Not just some disembodied, supernatural force "up there somewhere," but as an actual agent of change in our lives.  Really knowing Him means getting to know His heart, which in turn means spending time in Scripture.  It is impossible to know the God of the Old and New testaments from prayer and emotions alone.  We must understand what He said and when, so that we can gauge other people's advice against the Bible.

Second, in order to trust God, we need to know His intentions for us.  We need to understand that He loves us not only as the church, but as individuals.  He feels our pain when we suffer (remember that Jesus was both human and divine, subject to very real human suffering).  One of my favorite pieces of Scripture regarding this is Jeremiah 29:11.  It says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  He loves us, guides us, and endows us with a supernatural hope.

Third, we can build trust in the Lord by surrendering control of our lives over to Him.  Now for all those proud, strong-willed, independent people out there - I wish I had better news for you.  But the fact of the matter is, that His ways are well above our ways.  The only way this faith walk will work is to understand and admit that He knows what is best for us.  And that means letting Jesus come into our lives and clean house a bit.  To help us repent of sin, ask for forgiveness, and come into a saving relationship with Him.  We don't get there on our own steam.  Trust me, it just doesn't work.  Full scale surrender is what works.  

Finally, once these first three rungs are established, we must exercise patience while waiting on God.  Doesn't sound like much fun, does it?  It would be a lot easier if God were a giant ATM machine or a Google browser.  Type in what we want, and then He kicks out an answer in thirty seconds or less.  If only.  But the truth is that our character is built up and edified when we wait on Him.  

If the answer we are seeking is clear from Scripture, all the better.  This is similar to instant gratification.  But if not, then we get to work on building our four-rung ladder of trust.  We get to know Him, understand His intentions, surrender control, and then wait on Him.  

Years ago when I attended the University of Iowa as an undergrad, I found myself without enough money to pay for my semester's tuition.  As I began to apply to banks for small loans; panic started to set in.  I was financially short eight-hundred and ninety dollars, and the bill was coming due soon.  As a struggling college student, this amount might as well have been a million dollars.  

One day I received a mysterious check in the mail at the dormitory.  Upon opening the envelope, I noticed a check for nine-hundred dollars from my grandparents' estate.  It was an early payout from the will (my grandfather had passed away months earlier).  The timing was too much to ignore, and it was the exact amount I needed at the time, plus tip!

It then occurred to me immediately that I had neglected to trust that God had my best outcome at heart.  He still showed up at the right time, right place, and with the right portion.  I think back every once in a while and ruminate on that experience.  Did this kick off my faith journey thirty years ago?  It probably added some fuel to the spiritual fire.  But it wasn't until I was almost thirty-years-old that I began to actually trust God and seek Him.  I started building the ladder.  

He waited all those long years for me to thank Him for that check at college.  He waits for you also, but it won't last forever.  Someday we will take our last breath here on this planet.  So seek after God and get to know Him now, while we still have the grace to do so.  He is worth the journey, and fortunately He feels the same about you.  How strong is that ladder?

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The Light of Christ

Let me begin by saying that I do not believe Christianity is a silent faith.  God wants us to talk about Him with other people and show the world that Jesus has changed us.  Changed us in ways that 'rub off' on others.  Changed us in ways that we could not accomplish on our own steam.  Indeed, the Bible isn't just another self-help book, like some fad diet where we need to just try really hard to focus our will power, and then we lose some weight.  No, it is much more than that.  It is a religion that does something, that moves inside of us in a way that translates out from the overflow in our hearts to those around us.  

With this idea firmly in view, I want to discuss two Scriptures today.  The first comes to us as part of the famous Sermon on the Mount section of the Gospel of Matthew.  Chapter 5, verses 14-16 says, "You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put  it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Similarly, in Luke 11:33, we get the curious statement: "No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light."

I believe that it can be plainly said, that the light of this world we inhabit comes from Jesus Christ.  But what about the darkness?  What about all of the sin that transpires on our planet every day?  This is a more difficult question to think about.

In order for sin to exist and thrive, it must be kept in the dark.  You may have noticed in your own life, that keeping secrets is a great way to build up animosity.  Nothing deflates trust between two people more than finding out that you have been lied to, or that someone withheld information from you longer than they should have.  It makes it that much harder to trust again.

Keeping sin a secret can erode a marriage, harm a friendship, and destroy your personal integrity.  But knowing all this, why is it still so hard to come clean sometimes?  I believe that when it comes to these difficult situations, there is an almost irresistible temptation to keep sin hidden.  It is embarrassing for others to know about our weaknesses.  We want them to just go away ... to fade into time, and then vanish on their own.  Less fuss that way, or so we think.

The catch, however, comes from the fact that in order to purge ourselves of sin and begin our journey down the path of righteousness - we must bring that thing we regret into the light.  Evil cannot stand or survive in the light, much less the light of Christ.  In this glow, there is only room for confession, repentance, and healing.  Secret keeping goes out the window.  You will note that in this way, the light of Jesus will edge out sin (both yours and mine).   It's painful at first - I'm not saying it isn't - but ultimately it is the only way to permanently kick a bad habit.  There is something about illumination and confession that resets the spirit I think.

Resist the urge to shelve away your personal belief system into the darkness.  Do not buy into the way of the nominal Christian, which says you can praise God one day a week at church, and then act like nothing is different Monday through Saturday.  Instead, let others see your faith in plain sight.  Let the light of Jesus shine through you, and because of that, into others as well.  This same light that quenches sin and offers salvation will hold you up when the need arises.   

The Bible tells us to be salt and light.  Allow your faith to shine; it will be okay.  Don't treat your religion as a forty-hour-per-week job, where you act one way at the office and another way at home.  Christianity asks more than that from us (and we should be grateful for that I think).  Otherwise it would be just another social club or mundane organization.  

Are we living for God now?  Do others around us sense and see our faith?  Does the Spirit preserve us and enhance us like salt?  Do we reflect the light of Christ with our actions, our language, and our hearts?

Christianity is not a silent faith; it is too important for that.  If you are loved by God, and you love God back, then good luck containing the light that abides inside of you!  It will spill out.  If others don't see this light, then it's time to take stock and examine your walk with God.  Don't keep the things that God has done in your life quiet.  And if you boast about it, then boast for His glory, not your own.  For it is Jesus that saves each of us, and who lights the flame which can never be extinguished.

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