Article I Wrote for our Local Paper--Resurrection

It’s time for me to make a confession:  I believe in the Resurrection!  Yes, I believe that Jesus, who was both God and man, was once dead and came back to life.  I know for many this is a hard thing to believe.  I know for many they think this is a joke.  But it is central to the claims of Christianity.  And it is central to my life.

As St. Paul said in writing to the Corinthians, “…and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is in vain… (1 Cor. 15: 17b).”  Either the resurrection is true, or I need to find a new profession.   Either it is true, or the Christian church has been lying to the world.

          But for those who struggle with this I can understand.  It does seem improbable and even impossible.  But I think looking around us in our everyday lives we see miracles just as wondrous as the Resurrection that give proof to its possibility:

 

A small, dead seed can grow into a lush, fruitful plant with gorgeous flowers filled with colors beyond telling.

 

Husband and wife after years of silence and strife say they are sorry and find a new way to love each other.

 

Young people chained into addictions find the courage to get help and rise to the top of their college class.

 

Nations, filled with hatred toward each other and intent on mutual self-destruction sit down at a table and try to find a way towards peace.

 

Single mothers, scared, alone and ashamed raise their heads up from the mire and work one more day to support their children.

 

Yes, I believe in the Resurrection because I see these examples, and so many more, smaller resurrections, happening all around us.  If we begin to reflect upon just how difficult, improbable, and even impossible some of these examples are, then we begin to see that there might be room in our hearts for the Resurrection of Jesus.

           Let us find a way to open our eyes to the small resurrections around us, that we might embrace the Resurrection that has changed the world.