Easter Sunday: Today we celebrate the rising of Jesus Christ from the dead. In the past few days, I've seen a number of posts from people mocking this idea. From zombie Jesus cartoons to Japanese anime, people have spent a great deal of effort looking for ways to discredit this central idea of the Christian faith. Because it is an unbelievable idea.
God dies? In doing so, He stops death? But we've seen death. People still die. How can we reconcile this? The idea goes against all of our senses and against the logic of our minds. Is it not more reasonable to believe that this idea is part of a massive denial that we have developed to avoid the horrific idea of death?
Wow. I really can't answer my own questions. I struggle with these very concepts regularly, and I wish that I had better answers. I certainly don't have any proof or amazing revelation that will turn the mind of the unbeliever. This may sound backwards, but a large part of my faith comes from the fact that this concept is so unbelievable. There are many religions that have the death and rebirth of a god as a part of their tradition. But Jesus' story is different. His story is about God dying and rising for us, for the people who abused Him, who abandoned Him, and who continue to deny Him. His death was the ultimate expression of His love. This act fulfilled numerous prophecies throughout the Old Testament, shining light on God's law and word and showing us the simple truth: that God is Love. We can feel that love any time that we want.
It's hard to tell how much of the presence of God that I have felt is truly God rather than my own active imagination, but I've come to recognize Him in my life. When I was younger, I hoped for the trumpets of heaven and signs that came from the stars and shook the earth. Now, I've come to realize that God is best heard in the quiet moments of our lives. Like the earth itself, God's presence is so vast that we can't fully comprehend it. Still it is so intimate that He takes the time to speak with us and listen to us at any moment.
I feel nothing but sadness for those who mock this day, and I pity those for whom Easter is nothing more than an excuse to try to enter a sugar coma. I can't prove that Jesus died and lives, but I know it, no matter how unbelievable it sounds.
God dies? In doing so, He stops death? But we've seen death. People still die. How can we reconcile this? The idea goes against all of our senses and against the logic of our minds. Is it not more reasonable to believe that this idea is part of a massive denial that we have developed to avoid the horrific idea of death?
Wow. I really can't answer my own questions. I struggle with these very concepts regularly, and I wish that I had better answers. I certainly don't have any proof or amazing revelation that will turn the mind of the unbeliever. This may sound backwards, but a large part of my faith comes from the fact that this concept is so unbelievable. There are many religions that have the death and rebirth of a god as a part of their tradition. But Jesus' story is different. His story is about God dying and rising for us, for the people who abused Him, who abandoned Him, and who continue to deny Him. His death was the ultimate expression of His love. This act fulfilled numerous prophecies throughout the Old Testament, shining light on God's law and word and showing us the simple truth: that God is Love. We can feel that love any time that we want.
It's hard to tell how much of the presence of God that I have felt is truly God rather than my own active imagination, but I've come to recognize Him in my life. When I was younger, I hoped for the trumpets of heaven and signs that came from the stars and shook the earth. Now, I've come to realize that God is best heard in the quiet moments of our lives. Like the earth itself, God's presence is so vast that we can't fully comprehend it. Still it is so intimate that He takes the time to speak with us and listen to us at any moment.
I feel nothing but sadness for those who mock this day, and I pity those for whom Easter is nothing more than an excuse to try to enter a sugar coma. I can't prove that Jesus died and lives, but I know it, no matter how unbelievable it sounds.
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