Today is a special day. Around the world, Christians celebrate Jesus resurrected. Alive.
It's a hotly debated topic of course. And I think one central to Christianity - because Jesus could have been any prophet if he'd just lived and died. To be fully God he had to defy humanity, and death is something that all humans face. As my favourite theologian and author, C.S. Lewis, puts it:
"By his resurrection Jesus has forced open a door that had been locked since the death of the first man. He has met, fought, and beaten the king of death. Everything is different because he has done so. This is the beginning of the new creation: a new chapter in cosmic history has opened..." from Miracles.
And so, for me, Easter Sunday is an exciting day. Just as Jesus's birth was a miracle, his resurrection is also. There's an element of faith that comes with Christianity that's so prominent today. There's plenty of evidence that Jesus actually rose from the dead, but miracles aren't as easy for humans to accept. Today I'm reflecting on my faith, and what it is that makes me so sure that Christianity is real.
I guess it's a combination of fact and faith. The Bible is amazing, with such depth and richness and words that are unlike any other book I've read. The voices within each book are different, which means some bits might sound like they're opposites. But they unite together under the same God and that's amazing. Studying a bit of theology challenged my beliefs hugely. But I think it's strengthened them too as I've wrestled with passages and what they could mean.
I'm encouraged by testimony and the stories of the early church especially. Studying Acts for a-level was amazing, even if I didn't enjoy it at the time, and looking at early church history is astounding as the persecution was so great. Their perseverance to keep trusting in God despite flogging and imprisonment makes me more certain that the Bible is something I should pay attention to.
Coupled with evidence is my story. My journey. And the development of my life has been marked with various moments that I think are probably spiritual or supernatural. Prayer is something I believe works, even though sometimes I wrestle with the fact that God's plan is different to what I expect.
But I haven't got all the answers. And sometimes I struggle to see why God would do things a certain way. Most of the time I hate debating with people who think differently to me, because I'm scared that they'll see Christianity negatively or that I won't come up with enough proof that I should believe in it.
I guess that's why Easter is so special to me. It's at the heart of the Christian story, and reminds me of the heart of my faith. Today I'm thankful for so much and praying for God's story to continue in my life.
"Significant: sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy."
"Significant: having a particular meaning; indicative of something."
It's a hotly debated topic of course. And I think one central to Christianity - because Jesus could have been any prophet if he'd just lived and died. To be fully God he had to defy humanity, and death is something that all humans face. As my favourite theologian and author, C.S. Lewis, puts it:
"By his resurrection Jesus has forced open a door that had been locked since the death of the first man. He has met, fought, and beaten the king of death. Everything is different because he has done so. This is the beginning of the new creation: a new chapter in cosmic history has opened..." from Miracles.
And so, for me, Easter Sunday is an exciting day. Just as Jesus's birth was a miracle, his resurrection is also. There's an element of faith that comes with Christianity that's so prominent today. There's plenty of evidence that Jesus actually rose from the dead, but miracles aren't as easy for humans to accept. Today I'm reflecting on my faith, and what it is that makes me so sure that Christianity is real.
I guess it's a combination of fact and faith. The Bible is amazing, with such depth and richness and words that are unlike any other book I've read. The voices within each book are different, which means some bits might sound like they're opposites. But they unite together under the same God and that's amazing. Studying a bit of theology challenged my beliefs hugely. But I think it's strengthened them too as I've wrestled with passages and what they could mean.
I'm encouraged by testimony and the stories of the early church especially. Studying Acts for a-level was amazing, even if I didn't enjoy it at the time, and looking at early church history is astounding as the persecution was so great. Their perseverance to keep trusting in God despite flogging and imprisonment makes me more certain that the Bible is something I should pay attention to.
Coupled with evidence is my story. My journey. And the development of my life has been marked with various moments that I think are probably spiritual or supernatural. Prayer is something I believe works, even though sometimes I wrestle with the fact that God's plan is different to what I expect.
But I haven't got all the answers. And sometimes I struggle to see why God would do things a certain way. Most of the time I hate debating with people who think differently to me, because I'm scared that they'll see Christianity negatively or that I won't come up with enough proof that I should believe in it.
I guess that's why Easter is so special to me. It's at the heart of the Christian story, and reminds me of the heart of my faith. Today I'm thankful for so much and praying for God's story to continue in my life.
"Significant: sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy."
"Significant: having a particular meaning; indicative of something."
Comments
Post a Comment