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Faithful Christians and equally zealous nonbelievers can agree on the following statement:  If Jesus of Nazareth didn’t rise from the dead, then the entire Christian faith is worthless.  The Apostle Paul agreed when we wrote “if Christ hasn’t been raised then our faith is in vain….  and we of all people, are most to be pitied” (1Cor 15).  The veracity of our faith boils down to a single event that either happened or didn’t – a single event that is open to the tools of historical investigation.  If we can encourage skeptics to overcome their biases and to investigate this event for themselves, many of them will awaken to the plausibility of the historic Christian position.  This alone won’t save anyone – but it illustrates one of the ways that apologetics is an important part of evangelism in the modern (and postmodern) world.

As a graduate student studying Physics in an environment overtly hostile to Christianity, God took me down my own path of discovering the bankruptcy of default skeptical positions assumed in that culture.  Once I realized that theists and non-theists alike believed in “miracles” (what’s a bigger miracle than the Universe coming into existence out of nothing?) it gradually became clearer to me that God existed, and could therefore intervene if, when, and how, He wanted.  Yet, before experimenting with prayer and ultimately placing my faith in the God of the Bible, I had to become convinced of the historical plausibility of the resurrection myself.

Do you know what I found?  A remarkably high number of even non-Christian professional historians agree on dozens of historical facts that can be arranged into three broad categories: 

1) The discovery of Jesus’ empty tomb by a group of his women followers. 

2) The postmortem appearances to several individuals and groups. 

3) The origin of the disciples’ belief in Jesus’ resurrection. 

The task of the historian is then to compare all the competing hypotheses according to certain criteria for the best explanation (see graphic inset below).

Even the most skeptical non-Christian scholars acknowledge that the earliest Christian hypothesis proclaimed by Jesus’ disciples, skeptics like James, and persecutors like Paul was that “God raised Jesus from the dead”.  This fact can be established using only Paul’s universally accepted letters, one of which contains the most primitive Christian creed proclaiming the resurrection (1 Cor 15:3-5), which is dated to within a couple of years and possibly even months of the crucifixion (see graphic timeline above).  This allows no time for legendary development or corrupted oral tradition assumed by alternative hypotheses.  The resurrection hypothesis benefits from several early and independently attested eyewitness accounts supported by many biblical and extra-biblical sources that overshadow every alternative hypothesis (various “conspiracy theories”, the “apparent death” or “mythological” explanation, the “Hallucination hypothesis”, and combinations of these).

The resurrection hypothesis not only holds its own under rigorous historical analysis – it appears to be the best explanation of the established facts*.   It’s a remarkable fact that alternative hypotheses have less traction today than they did 50 years ago among academic scholars in the relevant fields.   When put into the context of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, the resurrection hypothesis not only fits the historical data the best, it vindicates Jesus’ claims about Himself, and gives us our only hope.  For God “has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” –  Paul at the Aereopagus in Athens (Acts 17:31).

*for rigorous analysis of available historical data see any number of books, publications, and debates by Dr. Gary Habermas, Dr. Mike Licona, Dr. William Lane Craig, Dr. N.T. Wright among others.  

When someone asks, “What does Easter mean to you?” do you have a standard, off the shelf, 15 second ‘church’ response that you use? I know I do and while the answer is usually technically correct in giving a definition, I’ve realized that kind of response falls short of conveying what Easter means deep down inside me.

You see for me, Easter means God has always had a plan. All the way back in Genesis God started revealing His plan to redeem mankind. He knew human beings were going to be a goofy, messed up species and yet He made us anyway! He made us in His image, knowing that by giving us free choice, we would sin and destroy our relationship with Him. 

Easter also means God will go to any lengths to bring his plan about. Mankind’s sin presented God with a dilemma only He could solve. God’s love for us requires that we be saved. His holiness requires our reconciliation; that we be made righteous before Him. His justice requires that we receive the punishment we deserve for our sin which is death and separation from our God. But God’s plan, the incarnation of the Son, Jesus Christ, his death on the cross as the perfect sacrificial atonement for all our sins was and is the greatest expression of love God could give. This was the only way to satisfy His perfect justice and perfect holiness. 

Easter means God’s plan worked. The resurrection is God’s assurance that the sacrifice Jesus made paid the debt of sin in full. This is why it is so important for us to celebrate Easter – it is proof positive that we have been reconciled and our relationship with God is restored.

Easter means hope for me. It’s one thing to think about Jesus being the savior of the world; giving his life for our collective sins. That’s big! It’s so enormous that I can see it being worthy of God. It’s another matter altogether to think that He would die for my sins alone. I still get chills when I remember the first time I heard that Jesus’ love for me is so great that he would have died for my sins alone.

You see, God had a plan for mankind from the very beginning; and He has a plan for me and a plan for you. God is willing to go to any length, even death on a cross, to bring about His plan for mankind, and He will go to any length to bring about His plan for me and for you. God’s plan to redeem mankind worked, and so will His plans to redeem and transform me and you. Easter means hope – the kind of hope that I long for, that I’m certain will come about one day – hope of spending eternity with the God I love and who loves me more than I can ever comprehend.

In His omniscience our God knew that our celebration of Easter would look different this year. There may be fear, frustration and a gamut of high emotion all around us, but we can stand firm on the promises of our God in our Lord and Savior. The way we celebrate may be different this year, but the real meaning of Easter has not changed.

“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.” Edward Mote

What does Easter mean to you? There won’t be a better time to share the message of Easter than right now.

God has been asking me to believe that He is enough for me for a long while. If you know me, you know I am stubborn! And so, today’s present state of our world is one more opportunity for me to trust and believe.

Isolation is no stranger in our home. Celiac disease has isolated us in ways we never imaged given our expectations of a “normal” life; as many chronic illnesses will do. The present restrictions imposed on us as individuals, for the greater good, are not a chosen or expected normal for most people.

Having expectations that allow us to think we are in control and allow us selfishness, are not Biblical. The only expectations we can count on are the expectations in God’s promises in His Word. He promises many times that He will not leave us, He lives within us, we are His children, His Church! As Christians we are never truly separated completely from others. God is always with us. We have the privilege of direct communication with our God through the blood of Christ. I think our fear and feelings of isolation are rooted in our sin natures and a time between birth and accepting Christ as Lord and Savior when we could not be in the presence of God but had an immense longing for His love. That separation being the worst and loneliest isolation possible.

I wonder, Christ being totally God and man, when on the cross and crying out, “Father, why have you forsaken me”, was that the moment He understood that profound isolation magnified by the sins of us all? Christ willingly bore that isolating, separating sin.

He knows how it feels and is with me as I deal with my isolation and is the model for me to bear my isolation in this world.

I thank Him for a chance to be more like Him.

I thank Him for the lessons in learning to believe He is totally, completely, without fail, by His promises enough for me.

This lesson I can only learn through and with His love for me. The best way I have found to push away my disbelief, fears and feelings, is to stay in His word, sometimes minute by minute. To communicate with Him all day long with words, songs and prayers; and to serve others as Christ served me by His death on the cross.

In our isolation from other humans besides our immediate family members there are many ways to serve one another. I challenge you to serve in ways you’ve never served before or to serve in a greater capacity than ever before.

And I pray that you believe God is enough!

I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo.

‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” - The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

It’s tempting.

The whole world seems to be reeling and worrying.

Will there be enough...

Hospital beds

Particle masks

Work

Food

Toilet paper (Insert eye-roll here)

....for...who, exactly?

The 50 people I saw in line outside a Target today in 35 degree weather wouldn’t mind telling you.

“For me. Will there be enough for ME?”

It’s tempting to see the news stories, the madness, the social media posts and worry enough to completely turn inward.

So, it’s tempting to buy too much. To obsess to the point of nausea. To shut down. Or maybe...to run through a grocery store with a set of walkie-talkies between you and your friend to ensure you get it all before the slow people do (my Mom was witness to this very thing this week.)

My lovely friend Pam Cravens likes to bring Elizabeth Cheney’s poem to bear on many a circumstance. It came to my mind today as I drove away from that Target I told you about:

Said the robin to the sparrow,

“I should really like to know,

Why these anxious human beings

Rush about and worry so.”

Said the sparrow to the robin,

“Friend I think that it must be,

That they have no Heavenly Father,

Such as cares for you and me.”

(“The Robin and the Sparrow - Elizabeth Cheney)

Ouch.

And I’m right there with them. I’ve panicked like the best of them. I’ve gotten depressed over the fact that life is not going to return to normal anytime soon. I’ve refreshed my news app a billion times in an hour. I’ve raced to the store at 6a.m. and taken a few too many peanut butter jars off the shelf.

And none of it has brought me sanity, relief, peace, or joy. None of it.

Honest confession: I could probably quote a few news stories more accurately than I can quote a lot of scripture at this point. And that’s a problem I really didn’t think I had.

The wonderful thing about all of this is that God is SO good that He is bringing good IN AND THROUGH this crisis we’re in. Yes, a powerful God could have kept this from happening in the first place. But a God who can bring good in and through the bad...not just simply prevent it....

...a God who will be with us in the midst of our difficulty

...a God who invites us to cry out to Him so that He can answer and deliver us

...a God who says He is making ALL things new

...a God who offers eternal salvation to all who would come to Him

...now that’s a God worth knowing.

And a God worth obeying.

“Is not this the fast that I choose:

to loose the bonds of wickedness,

to undo the straps of the yoke,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry

and bring the homeless poor into your house;

when you see the naked, to cover him,

and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” - Isaiah 58:6-7

I have fasted from many things in my life, especially during Lent. I cannot say that I’ve ever thought of fasting as giving up something for someone else’s benefit...going without so that someone else may have enough...spending my energy and resources on someone else’s freedom and full belly and wardrobe.

But man...what if I did?

What follows this passage answers that question:

“Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,

and your healing shall spring up speedily;

your righteousness shall go before you;

the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;

you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’

If you take away the yoke from your midst,

the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

if you pour yourself out for the hungry

and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,

then shall your light rise in the darkness

and your gloom be as the noonday.

And the LORD will guide you continually

and satisfy your desire in scorched places

and make your bones strong;

and you shall be like a watered garden,

like a spring of water...” - Isaiah 58:8-11

 This passage was written to Israel...Israel, whose people would abide by the institution of a nation-wide fast but acted unjustly, unfairly, unlovingly, and selfishly on a daily basis.

Reminds me of….me.

If it reminds you of you, take heart.  Jesus died for us hypocrites too; and thanks to His work on the cross, we don’t have to live in this state forever. Because Jesus spent Himself completely on our behalf, we are freed from the prison of self that prevents us from seeing and serving others.

Please also hear Matthew Henry’s words concerning this passage.  He says we can do this together:

“....Yet persons, families, neighborhoods, churches, or nations, show repentance and sorrow for sin, by keeping a fast sincerely, and, from right motives, repenting, and doing good works. The heavy yoke of sin and oppression must be removed. As sin and sorrow dry the bones and weaken the strongest human constitution; so the duties of kindness and charity strengthen and refresh both body and mind. Those who do justly and love mercy, shall have the comfort, even in this world. Good works will bring the blessing of God, provided they are done from love to God and man, and wrought in the soul by the Holy Spirit.” - Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary On The Whole Bible

I hope you’ll join me in resisting the temptation for the foreseeable future to fold inward and miss this opportunity. What better time for people of the Light to shine than in a dark one? If we, the Church around the world, start giving instead of hoarding, reciting God’s word instead of journalists’ words, satisfying others’ needs instead of obsessing about our own, we will surely find the strength, joy, peace, refreshment, and fulfillment that comes to those who live as the sparrow and robin.

All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given us.

No March Madness is pretty maddening. No LeBron on TV. No trips to the gym, TP shortages. There is nothing like a home cooked meal until you can get nothing else because your favorite restaurant is closed. 

I miss sitting at a table at Little Bear with a latte pretending to work as if I had a real job or something. 

Life as we’ve known it is on hold. One more casualty of the times is that no one from MCC is boarding a plane for Bolivia this month, thanks to the virus.

 That means no “airport arrival hugs”, no coffee from Abi’s Café, no Salentas and Jugo con Leche.  No late-night dinners of Mondongo or Pique a lo Macho. Most of all, we won’t get to see our friends at Food for the Hungry love their community in the name of Jesus. The team will miss learning about the best ways to serve those who are most vulnerable. Plus, we’ll miss practicing a few new Bolivian dance steps and getting clobbered at soccer by 10-year-old Bolivian kids.

We’ll miss the home visits with sponsored children and visits with members of the community in their homes to pray with them and encourage them.  

While the food is amazing and the dancing is fun, it’s the relationships that make a trip to Bolivia.  I’ll really miss seeing everyone there and I’m praying the trip is just postponed for a time and we’ll still see them this year. 

This crazy time we are living in is a reminder for us that life is more fragile than we think it is. We have much less control over our lives than it seems, though most are driven to exert control. 

Ecclesiastes 7:2 says:

“It is better to go to a house of mourning, than to go to a house of feasting.” 

Not because God likes to kill the buzz. Its because its easy to be fooled into thinking this life deserves all our time and investment.  And, as it feels like it’s all slipping away, we become fearful.  Times of mourning and trouble are a reminder that this life is temporary and a better time is coming.  A time when friends will never be separated, and no one will ever fear or mourn because of sickness or death again. 

There seems to be much to fear right now. Some are losing jobs; others are losing their retirement. Still others are losing their health and even their lives.

Better times are coming. We’ll miss those crazy Bolivians. Someday we’ll never have to say that again. 

There is even better news though, God is aware, involved and working right now. In each of our unique situations, with our specific risks, in the face of our fears. He claims to be our Father, our Husband, our Rock, Shield, Counselor, Provider. Right now, today.  Better times are coming, but because of Him we are secure today even in uncertainty and loss.

Luke 12:32-34 says:

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

We have treasure in Bolivia. Each one has a name and a face. We are blessed to call them friends and co-laborers.