Life

I love Easter, I love spring, I love Passover, and I love celebrating life, but I have discovered that in America, we often take Easter Sunday (Passover, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and so on and so forth) for granted. This was my first year celebrating Easter in another country, and it was very interesting. We celebrated much the same way that we would in the States; bright colors and an extra service, but this was different. I was sitting in the town square watching the festivities when my friend leaned over and said “This only happens here, if we were in Jogja (the next city over) we would be bombed for doing this.” What a statement!

Honestly, this was the same thing that we did at Christmas, and it wasn't that big of a deal, the Muslims didn't say anything, nor did they do anything, and everyone was happy to leave it all alone, but this was not Christmas, this was not the promise, this was the fulfillment. It is one thing to say that Christ was born, but another thing entirely to say that He is risen. In the last few weeks there have been some “missionaries,” men who had become Disciples of Christ while still going to church in the Mosques and talking to others about how Yesus (a prophet in the Koran) is more than just a prophet, but the son of God, who have been arrested. Their families have gone into hiding, and we are not sure what is going to happen to them. I also had the chance to talk to some men who had come out of their former religion and into Christianity, there was one who was taken and beaten when he converted, and when he went home his wife was gone…to this day, 7 years later, he has no clue where she is, or if she is even alive, and has been raising his daughter alone. We are not playing games.

I am reminded of a quote by C. S. Lewis that says “If we do not believe in Christianity, let’s put it in the museums where it belongs, but if we do believe in it, then let’s stop pretending that it doesn't matter.” Christianity is not passive by nature, and we as Christians must begin to do something. I am tired of seeing people who sit and talk all day but never set foot in a homeless shelter, or do anything inconvenient, and I am also sick of seeing ministers who are so busy with ministry that they have neglected to teach any of their followers how to even pray for someone.  Our lives should be completely sold out for Jesus, I know you have heard that term, but we should start believing it…as I am writing this, the Islamic call to prayer is just starting…for the 5^th time today. How many Christians would stop what they were doing to take ten minutes to pray….even once, let alone 5 times in one day.

I could keep saying this until I was blue in the face….in fact, maybe I should keep saying this until I am blue in the face, I have a reason to say it; He is Risen! He is alive! Who else can say that? We may not always understand what He is doing, or even necessarily agree with it, (such an American way of thinking!) but we must follow the Life! I remember reading when Jesus said that the disciples had to eat His flesh and drink His blood; that was an offensive statement, it still is in fact, and many people left…but when He asked the 12 Peter said “Where else have we to go Lord?” Where else can we find life? We have nowhere else to go, and yet we stay, not only because we are ruined for the world, but because we have found something that is greater than anything else around us, something outside of us.

What an interesting thought that the thing worth dying for is life; that the only way to get life is to die. That we have all died in with Him, and that He will raise us up. Does this actually make any since? Well not to some, but to me, it makes more since than anything else. I want to end this with another quote by C. S. Lewis, he said “I believe in Christianity for the same reason that I believe in the sun, not because I can see it, but because by it I can see everything else.” We love because He first loved us. I pray for you all that you begin to die and that in that death you may find life. Happy Resurrection Day.