The Upload
Posted on Apr 18, 2014 by
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray that you have had a blessed Holy Week.
As I write this letter, I am preparing for our Maundy Thursday service and our Good Friday service. By the time you read this letter, though, Good Friday will be over and the whole church will be in a time of waiting. Holy Saturday, although most of us really don’t do anything on this day, is the one day of the year that we remember that there was a time that God was not in the world. God truly did forsake this world for that one day. It is a somber day, but because we know the rest of the story, we know that resurrection happened, God rose from the dead and, in Christ’s own words, promised to be with us until the end of time (Matthew 28:20).
So for most of us Christians, we basically shrug this day off. We know the resurrection is real and true, so we know God is with us. But what about those who still doubt? What about those who believe in Christ, but just can’t quite believe that the resurrection is real? Are they condemned? Can they even call themselves Christians if they can’t get past that feeling of that first Holy Saturday when God was not in the world?
Believe it or not, it is common for people, even people who call themselves “Christians,” to struggle to believe in the resurrection. And to be honest, this struggle is not new. We know that even the early Christians really struggled with the notion of resurrection. How do we know that, you might ask? Well, just read all of Paul’s writings. He wrote a lot about the resurrection (for example, 1 Corinthians 15:12-19).
Struggling to believe in the resurrection is not a bad thing. The struggle itself makes sense because the resurrection itself doesn’t make sense. Everything we know about life and death tells us that resurrection is impossible.
If you or someone in your life is struggling with the concept of the resurrection, you or they are in good company. In fact, when Martin Luther wrote the Catechism and he tried to explain the third article of the Creed, he said, “I believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him.” What Luther meant by that is that belief in the resurrection is not something we come to by our own reasoning; it is a gift from the Holy Spirit.
Oh, believing in the resurrection is central to our faith, for as Paul writes, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is our faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14). But questioning and doubt are central to our faith, too, as we will hear next week.
So do you struggle with your belief in the resurrection? Do ever wonder if it really happened? If you do, that is okay, but don’t be content with just saying, I am not sure. Seek Christ in everything you do. Continue to wrestle with your questions. Read your Bible and come to know God’s word, and then let God place his Spirit in you so that you, too, might come to truly believe.
I believe with all my heart that resurrection is real and that Jesus is alive and walks with us in everything we do and I pray that you, too, live with that confidence, but if you have some doubt, call me and let’s talk.
Have a blessed week for Christ has risen! He has risen, indeed!
Shalom,
Pastor Dave