He is Risen

I had a wonderful Easter holiday with my family. We sang, ate way too much, and visited the night away. Initially, I was a bit worried about writing this post for a couple of reasons. The major one being that I absolutely despise cliches. Not only that, but with a post about Easter, it seemed pretty important to actually write and post it on Easter. But despite my hesitations, I realized something very important that now seems elementary in retrospect. Christ is just as risen today as He was last Sunday, or even 2,000 years ago. The message of the resurrection is, quite honestly, too important not to post. That is not to say that my words are that important (although I appreciate you taking the time to read them). No, that is to say that the resurrection of Jesus was the single most important event in all of human history and must be proclaimed by all who call themselves disciples.

One story that I love to tell involves a college class that seemed like the biggest waste of my time ever: British Literature. Now, understand that I love to read any and all books. That includes forms of poetry and literature as well. But to hear a monotone professor go through and attempt to explain the means behind the writings just was not all that thrilling to me as a college freshman. However, one particular class period has always stood out to me. The poem that we were studying is called, Parable of The Madman by Friedrich Nietzsche.

In this particular work, Nietzsche describes a man coming into a village and seeking God. The villagers respond that they have killed and buried Him. That make the famous statement, "God is dead." But the man calmly responds that he has simply come into the village too early, before the grand event. At this point in the poem, my professor paused. After a couple of seconds, my professor profoundly stated:

"If God is dead, then morality is relative and truth becomes a matter of opinion."

I still do not know that professor's religious affiliation but that statement was worth taking the class several times over. It always pops into my head around this time of year because of the reminder that everything in Christianity hinges on Jesus actually rising from the dead. Regardless of how you feel about Christianity, the fact remains that no event in history is more substantiated than the physical resurrection of the Christ.

This event is so important because without rising from the dead, Jesus was just another man. He would not have been anything special or anyone worthy of worship. Consolidation is key here because I could go on about this for hours. Suffice it to say that, the movement of Christianity was not because of a Rabbi's teaching, His stories, or His miracles. Christianity was unstoppable in the early church because Christ's followers literally saw a dead man walking. 

I see it only fitting to leave you with the words to my favorite Longfellow poem. Although entitled, Christmas Bells, this work of literature bears mentioning at Easter as well. Longfellow knew what and why he worshiped the God of the Bible.

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep."

Cherish the time with your family. But never forget the reason for celebration. Keep in mind that, just like Christmas, the salvation of mankind through the resurrection of Jesus is worth proclaiming all year. Without it, we would be without hope. Through Jesus, we have life abundantly. Until next time, stay classy.

-Andrew