Monthly address

Reflections from the Glebe House
“I was just thinking...

...the Resurrection really is a game changer!”

As I write this we are still in the austere season of Lent, still hoping for better weather, waiting for the rain to stop, and maybe struggling to abstain from whatever it is we have given up as we struggle to keep up with our spiritual disciplines.  As you read this we will be in Holy Week, not an easy week as it showed one of the most remarkable miscarriages of justice ever, resulting in the horrific death of the innocent Son of God. However, Easter is coming! On that first Easter Sunday, Jesus was indeed raised from the dead, and nothing has ever been the same again! By rising from the dead, Jesus showed that the power of death had been conquered and that heaven had been won for us through his death on the cross. Through that death and resurrection we receive so many blessings: forgiveness, acceptance, freedom, redemption and so much more.

For me, the fact that Jesus rose from the dead primarily means two things. Firstly, it means that he is still alive today and can be my friend and companion in this life. I no longer need to go it alone! Through his spirit he is with me, guiding me through all the stresses and strains of this life, working out my future; only a prayer away. I can talk to him whenever I want to, whenever I need to, drawing on his wisdom, guidance and resources. For me this is the abundant life that Jesus offers in John 10:10, knowing that all the resources of heaven are open to me through the reliable and continuing presence of the risen Christ.

However secondly, I’m very aware that things will get even better! We live in a broken world, and although Jesus’s kingdom has come, the full benefits of the resurrection won’t be fully realised in our lifetimes.  We are a waiting people who, because of the Resurrection, can look forward to the reward of Heaven when we die if we keep going and remain faithful to Christ. We have a wonderful future ahead of us: eternal life with God forever! What we see only dimly on this earth, we will eventually see clearly. Then we can enjoy all the benefits of our salvation fully. Christ has won all that for us and proved it by rising again; we can follow in his steps and be with him when we ourselves finally finish our earthly pilgrimage.

So what a game changer the Resurrection is, and each one of us can enter into all its benefits if we believe in Christ and what he’s done and commit our lives to him. Paul put it like this in 1 Corinthians 15, words we often hear at a funeral, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith… Your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” 

Christ’s death and resurrection changed everything. I first realised he was alive when I was a teenager and committed my life to him. That’s a decision I’ve never regretted! Christ knocks at the door of all of our lives. Have you responded to that call and realised all the benefits of the resurrection for yourself in this life and in eternity?

Wishing you all a happy and God filled Easter.

Andy