Thought for the Week - 17th & 24th April 2022

Dear Friends, 

Jesus Christ is risen from the dead! Alleluia! 

Happy Easter! 

The apostle Paul writing to the believers in Corinth had received from the church there questions sent to him on various topics including on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. There were some who denied that Jesus had rose from the dead whilst others were unsure of what a physical resurrection might look like. Responding, Paul writes, ‘For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter and then to the Twelve (1 Corinthians 15:3-5). That in a nutshell is the gospel message, and as Paul says, the most important message we can ever hear. It is this message that we celebrate at Eastertime. But just like in Paul’s day there are those who deny the resurrection story and don’t believe in the resurrection of the dead. Paul says that if there is no resurrection of the dead then not even Christ has been raised, ‘and if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is useless and so is your faith’. He makes such a bold statement because he knew beyond any doubt that Jesus had been raised from the dead, described as ‘the pinnacle of God’s redeeming work in human history’ (Our Daily Bread). The American scholar of Christian history and theology Jaroslav Pelikan is quoted as saying near the end of his life, ‘if Christ is risen nothing else matters. And if Christ is not risen – nothing else matters.’ All of human history revolves around whether Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and if he didn’t rise from the dead then we are still in our sins, and life is all about getting as much pleasure out of it as we can because when the time comes and we die, that is it, the end. This is the point to ponder, that life is meaningless apart from the resurrection of Christ from the dead. But if Jesus did rise from the dead, then nothing else matters because our life, as followers of Jesus, is focused on living in obedience and love to Christ’s calling on our lives. That is the truth of this most important news that we celebrate, our living as Easter people in the world today, bringing God’s hope, joy and love as we share this message of good news that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead! Alleluia! 

Grace and peace,

Neil

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