A Thought For The Week Of April 1

"...if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:14) There's somehow something so appropriate about the fact that the day after Easter Sunday this year is April Fool's Day. I wonder how many Christians have thought today (even lightheartedly) about how it would feel if God suddenly shouted "April Fool's." As if - "gotcha! There really was no resurrection." It would call everything into question wouldn't it? Our faith, how we view the world, what we think about eternity. All of a sudden, none of that would have any foundation, because without the resurrection our faith and our views on life and death and eternity are suddenly all called into question, because so much of them are focussed on the resurrection. Could we hold on to our faith without the resurrection? We could perhaps commit ourselves to trying our best to live up to the ethical demands of our faith, but that isn't quite the same as having faith. Our faith teaches us not only how to live, but how to die as well.  Our faith teaches us that things are never so dark as to be hopeless. And that's based on the resurrection. A God who can bring life from death can help me through anything. I don't believe we'll ever have to test what our faith without the resurrection would look like. I believe in the resurrection. I'm convinced of it. I may not fully understand it, but I also have no doubt about it. Death is not the end. And a faith that assures us that life triumphs over death is not and can never be in vain. Hold fast to the resurrection, claim it for yourself and proclaim it as hope for the world! Have a great week!