Rev JK Sermon Notes

28 April 2024 The future of Jerusalem, the city of peace

“Come let us go to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of God of Jacob, that he shall teach his ways and that we may walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Micah 4:2) 

Looking over the horizon, particularly in the context of the turmoil and hostilities in the middle east, all of us worried about what will happen to the whole world. But if someone is worried about how history will end, whether in a disastrous way, or in a hopeful note, we need to look no further than Micah 4. It tells us how the Messiah will be a ruler for the whole world, ruling from Jerusalem, and bringing lasting peace.

International political experts and commentators maintain that the peace of the world spins around a not-so-attractive city called Jerusalem. History tells us that all the great empires wanted to conquer Jerusalem. It is not the economic capital of the world, neither is it rich in gold, silver, or petrol nor of any rare earth material. It is not even anything close to Canberra as a garden city for that matter. Yet, why is that all these ancient and modern empires try to conquer Jerusalem, also called Zion in the Bible? (In Psalm 137, we read, the exiles sitting by the rivers of Babylon, when their captors required them to sing the songs of Zion!) Zion symbolized their identity as a nation and their hope of being restored.  

Though known as the city of peace, Jerusalem has always been a city of turmoil, not peace.

What is the importance of Zion in the Bible?

The word Zion appears 152 times in the Old Testament, 7 times in the New Testament, and is not only used to describe the mountain, but has huge theological significance. The Bible describes Zion as:

The City of David (2 Samuel 5:7, 1 Kings 8:1, 1 Chronicles 11:5); The city of Jerusalem (Isaiah 33:20, Isaiah 40:9, Psalm 51:18); The entire Jewish nation (Isaiah 33:14, Zechariah 9:13); The Millennial Jerusalem (Joel 2:32, Isaiah 2:2-3); The eternal or Heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22, Micah 4:7, Isaiah 35:10)

Scripture is also full of powerful, poetic verses that give us a clue about the source of Mount Zion’s vitality and true beauty:

                  “Great is the Lord, greatly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth, like the heights of Zaphon (North) is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King. God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress” (Psalm 48:1-3).

In Psalm 87:1-2 we read “On the Holy Mountain stands the city he founded; the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.”

Now all these are true about both the city of Jerusalem and the heavenly city God has planned for future.

What about the NT ideas about Zion?

“But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven….” (Hebrews 12:22).

Last week, we thought about the ultimate plan of Lord Jesus in bringing ‘other sheep’ which belongs to him, which finally becomes one-fold, under one shepherd.

Today through the prophecy of Micah (who is quoting this from Isiah 2:2-4) we see how Jerusalem is going to be the center of attraction in future days. This is perfectly in line with the hope of Jewish people that one day they will have a King, who will advise all nations and judge between them. “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill” (Psalm 2:6)

When such a ruler (Christ) will rule from Jerusalem, international disputes are not going to be settled by military solutions. In the modern world we settle international problems by what is termed as “military solutions.” Military solution is a pet name for overt war. It tries to justify war and its atrocities by sugar coating the terminology used. I am not saying that we can avoid war and settle every dispute in this world through peaceful means. There have been dozens of situations in history in which a just war was the only solution left on the table. Yet at the end of the day, it is a ‘bloody’ solution, leaving a thousand scar that is remembered, with pride and patriotism.

On Thursday, the nation remembered the sacrifice of our past heroes who were called to fight a war which had no causal connection with any of them. We need to salute them for their suffering and the pain of their remaining relatives. But we can look forward to a day when we have a better option. When that true King of kings begins to rule, he will turn all war machinery into agricultural instruments. “hammering swords into plow-blades and spears into pruning-knives.”    It is mindboggling to assume the gains of stopping all wars.

Last week, I did a little research on the defense spending of a few countries.

In the period between 2017 to 2021 the United states increased their defense spending from $647 billion to $800 billion a year. China on the other hand, increased it from $210 billion to $293 billion. For Australia it rose from $ 27 billion to $31 billion and with the new Submarine project, we will be spending close to $50 billion in the name of securing our boarders. (source: https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/ranking/military-spending-defense-)budget.

Despite all this spending, are we getting any better at international relationships or are we heading towards a tipping point where another world war is going to eliminate all of us as a species? You can decide. I am not suggesting we will not do any preparation and will become a sitting duck for other hostile nations. We believe that with the gathered intelligence, defense spending has become a necessary thing. But if such a threat could be addressed in a peaceful way, it is anyone’s imagination how every nation could progress using their money for their own people, rather than stockpiling armaments in fear of others.

As we celebrate our heroes of the past and support those who now represent us abroad, we need to remember that the evil forces which make people and nations dislike and attack each other should be addressed first so that we can sleep in peace. And I believe that only the true prince of peace can solve the root cause of all national and international animosities. World leaders can continue to try for many more years in vain, while ignoring the counsel of God. But if we instead turn to God first, he will instruct us we can walk in his ways and find true and lasting peace.

So, let us look forward to the day when our Lord Jesus will take over the affairs of this world and begin to rule from Jerusalem, as prophesied by St John in the book of Revelation. “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.” (Rev 21:10)

Let us pray…

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21 April 2024 One flock, one shepherd

‘I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So, there will be one flock, one shepherd’ (John 10:16).

Today based on our readings in Acts and in the Gospel, I want to talk about two things: the need for unity among Christians and the non-negotiable uniqueness of Christ as the Saviour of the world.

An abiding metaphor in the Scriptures is that of God as a Shepherd. Like a shepherd God wanted to walk with his people, lead them to good pastures, and save them from enemies. As a long expected ‘Messiah’, Jesus’ claimed that he is the Good Shepherd. But in this passage which we heard that this shepherd is not going to be their exclusive King and Shepherd. He has ‘other sheep that do not belong to this fold’ and “I must bring them also”. That was not something that the Jewish people wanted to hear. Their Messiah should be their Saviour alone, the gentiles are pariah, why should they be included!

Now we can only speculate what Jesus means by ‘bringing’ them. Bringing them to, where? And how?  So instead of talking about to where or how this would happen, I am going to speak about the intend rather than the outcome or its shape.

From the book of Genesis all the way to the Book of Revelation, the Scriptures presume that all people everywhere are created equally and as far as God is concerned, they all belong to him. Some have understood this and have come back to the fold, while others are yet to come to terms with their condition and change. God is continuing his saving work among people of other nations and cultures. But his ultimate plan for humanity is revealed through the verses we read; there will be one flock, and one shepherd.

What I am talking about is the universal brotherhood of humankind and the Fatherhood of God. God in his mercy, has chosen to restore this whole world back to himself. As more and more people come to him and accept Him as their own Shepherd and Lord, they become part of a sheepfold which we call a Church.

How do we appropriate this divine plan?

The undivided Church formulated the Creed with this unity in mind, and we continue to repeat the same; we “believe in one, holy catholic and apostolic church”. What we affirm is that the Church is one, and we are all one in Christ.

The question here is, how are we going to live out this most important aspect of our common faith?

The Gospel has been preached to people of different cultures and traditions for centuries. Churches have been formed all over the world. But if you have cursory glance across the globe, we can see that even the most authentic and traditional churches do not worship God in the same way. Some tend to follow a liturgy like the one we do in the Anglican Church. We are comfortable in the written form of our worship, as it is processed and predictable. And we also know it is theologically robust and trinitarian. But all these have evolved over the centuries. We the Anglicans have had this prayer book only since 1662. For centuries, our clergy were facing East. Here at SMiV, we have three different worship styles. Yet we worship the same God.

What I am trying to say is that, neither the liturgy nor the theology defines our belonging to the one Shepherd. What unites Christians is the fact that we have all been saved through sacrifice of our Lord and Savior. In other words, what unites us is the fact that we are his children through faith.

This is what Paul says in Colossians 3:11, “Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” 

So, Jesus is reminding us in the Gospel reading (John 10) that although we may find it easy and comfortable in flocking together as birds of the same feather, at the consummation of time, there will only be one table where all will feast with Him: one sheepfold and one shepherd!

Now this unity of Christians is not an optional extra but a positive essential, as we come closer and closer to the second coming of our Lord. During my Easter Sermon I said that the Church built on the site of the tomb of Jesus is not functioning-no services there- because of disunity among Christian denominations. It is a shame to think that there are about 30000 official denominations among Christians. What a pathetic situation!

So, while it is important to hold on to what we believe is true, we should also remember that in the coming Kingdom of God, there will not be any Anglican, or Pentecostal or Baptist or Orthodox enclaves.

Jesus said, “there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

So, while we cannot agree with many other denominations and with the ways they conduct themselves as a congregation, we must underscore the fact that they are a sheepfold of the Lord in their own right. We cannot and should not judge others. But we should have healthy and meaningful dialogues even when we know they are wrong. But at the end of the day, we need to affirm the fact that if they have put their trust in the saving work of Christ, they have become God’s children, and we belong to the same body of Christ.

And there is one more reason why we should unite. The world over, Christians being attacked not because they have done anything wrong, but because they stand up and expose false religions and false prophets. In the defence of our common faith, Apostle Peter said, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” (Acts. 4:12) That is an exclusivist statement, that challenges pluralism and relativism. For Christ, there are no competitors. No wonder the apostles were persecuted. Jesus himself was killed because he said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; No one comes to the Father except through me”. (John 14:6)

 My dear friends and fellow believers, the gospel of Jesus is an exclusive proposition which maintains a truth that is non-negotiable. If you believe that truth, it has the capacity to change your life and give you the boldness to say it aloud. It will attract criticism, ridicule, and at times, persecution, like what we see all around the globe these days. A secular government will not like it. And hence the cost can be your own life. But Jesus has not called us for a smooth and easy way of life. As the famous German theologian and activist Deitrich Bonhoeffer said, “When Jesus bids someone, he bids them to die”.

Are you delighted to embrace this exclusive yet unifying faith?

Let us pray...

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14 April 2024 Do not love the world or the things in the world - 1 John 2:15-17; 3:1-6     

‘Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world-the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possession-is not from the Father but from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.’

Not to love the world or things in the world seems like an impossible admonition. We can raise a range of questions against it. Didn’t God love this world so much that he sent his only Son to save it? If we do not love something, how can we even think of preserving or honoring it? Did John mean the material world or the world with certain kinds of people whom we cannot love for several reasons? I am sure you may add a few other legitimate questions to these I have already raised. What did John mean by loving the world here?

‘But it seems clear that there is an inconsistency between the love of the world and the love of God; between being carnally minded, esteeming, desiring, and pursuing immoderately visible and temporal things, (which is death), and being spiritually minded, having our thoughts and affections set on invisible and heavenly things, (which is life and peace).’(quote)

‘The things that are in the world - referred to in the text which I quoted are "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life." John does not say that we are in no sense to love "anything" that is in the material world; that we are to feel no interest in flowers, and streams, and forests, and fountains; that we are to have no admiration for what God has done as the Creator of all things; that we are to cherish no love for any of the inhabitants of the world, our friends and kindred; or that we are to pursue none of the objects of this life in making provision for our families; but that we are not to love the things which are sought merely to pamper the appetite, to please the eye, or to promote pride in living’. According to CH Dodd, ‘these are sensuality, materialism, and ostentation.’ These are the pursuit of the people of this world; these are not to be sought by Christians.

Even if we can find what John means by ‘loving this world’ which he considers as reprehensible, it is far more difficult to apply or implement it in anyone’s life. On the surface it looks like an impossible task. But I believe there must be an easier way.

Let me approach this whole thing from another angle.

Quite often, Christian life has been compared to a pilgrim’s journey. During our normal course of life, something or someone has captured our attention and then we decide to take a journey to this place or person which seems far away in the beginning. But as each day passes by, we feel excited as we become closer to our destination. Our Christian life is like that pilgrim, who has decided to leave a life that is temporary to an eternal one. His/her allegiance has changed from an oppressive kingdom to a liberating one. Things of this world therefore do not appeal to that person anymore. At best, money, fame, or material things are considered as tools and not objects of pursuit anymore. Such people’s hearts and minds have been captured by a love that surpasses any earthly delight. The awards, rewards, or recognition no longer appeals to such as these.

The injunction, not to love this world, is only sensible or applicable if you have the mindset of a pilgrim, who is bent on going to his promised land. Otherwise, it amounts to unrealism if not outright indifference to this world. They feel like they are in a foreign country wishing to go back home.

This is not altogether a Johannine thought. St Paul also said the same thing; “but our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Phil. 3:20. The writer of Hebrews also mirrors this idea; “for here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come” (Heb 13:14).

CS Lewis, the one-time Professor at Oxford and Cambridge, and great thinker, says that this world which we live in is an invaded territory. Heaven has invaded and made this a colony of God’s Kingdom. The oppressive authority which was ruling this world has been defeated. The conqueror was none other than the very Son of God. Since he has gone back to the Father who sent him, He has bequeathed his authority to his regent-the Church. And as his faithful as emissaries, we are to be like salt and light for this enemy territory. As followers of Christ, they have joined forces with their ‘captain’ to subdue this oppressive authority and rescue as many people, who believe, and to prepare them for the coming Kingdom. If those emissaries begin the love the things that they were indulging in the past, it means that they have never enjoyed the love of God, says John.

In other words, a true Christian is one who lives within the realities of these two opposing worlds. On the one hand, as a citizen of his/her country, there is this huge responsibility to live as its good citizen. On the other hand, as a Christian, we have a mandate to change this world’s unjust structures and laws and to bring it under the authority and rule of Christ, which is by far the best. So, the conviction that ‘we are not of this world’ gives us enough courage and resolve to change this world while being its good citizens, all the while reminding ourselves that we do belong to a Kingdom that is from above.

While all these are attitudinal, the practical life of such people who live in this paradigm will be distinctly different. It is like living in an embassy in a foreign country. Our normal lives are lived in the place we are stationed, this world. We eat the fruit of this land; we have our friends and close ones in this land, but we are different, our aims are different as we are on a diplomatic mission working for the country (the Kingdom of God) we belong to. We are governed by a higher and better set of rules. In other words, we are like a ship that is passing through the seas, which cannot let the water outside get into our ship, lest we perish.

Let me ask you this one question, has your ship sailed yet? Have you begun your spiritual pilgrimage? Are you on a mission? If not, it is time to take that step today. Commit your life to the Lord and change your allegiance from this world, because it is passing away. And for those of you who have spent considerable time in their spiritual journey, check the strength of your resolve, re-commit your lives for a higher and superior cause. As John continue to say, “beloved, we are God’s children now, what we will be, has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this, when He is revealed, we will be like Him.” (John 3:2-3) “And all who have this hope in Him purify themselves just as He is pure”.

Let us pray…

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7 April 2024 Resurrection - The purpose of John’s Gospel - John 20:19

Last week we considered the importance of resurrection which makes the Christian faith unique. We also heard about some of the follow-on effects of such a belief in the risen Christ.

In the first part of the Gospel reading today, we see how Jesus appeared to the disciples except Thomas. After convincing them that his resurrection is not an apparition but real, Jesus gives them a commission to announce the forgiveness through his death and resurrection. These episodes also give us a glimpse of what kind of body Jesus assumed. Let us briefly look into it.

The difference between Jesus’ resurrection and Lazarus’

Unlike the raising of Lazarus from the dead, Jesus’ resurrected body was different. Before Lazarus was raised back to life, Jesus asked the stone which was laid across the tomb to be taken away (John 11:38-39) And even as Lazarus came out alive, Jesus asked those around to take off the strips of linen and the face cloth around his face. If you look close to Jesus’ resurrection narratives, we can see that, when the disciples entered the empty tomb, they ‘saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself (John 20:7). While Lazarus came back to life with an earthly body, Jesus’ body was transformed at the resurrection. In verse nineteen of the passage, we can see that Jesus came to the midst of his disciples while the room was locked. If I am to talk about the peculiarities of the resurrected body, that itself will be another sermon. So, let me come back to the passage.

Resurrection and Mission

Jesus wanted his disciples to be absolutely convinced about the truthfulness of his resurrection. That is why he was willing to show his hands and feet, which obviously bore the marks of the crucifixion. But Jesus wanted more from his disciples. There was a mission that they were to embark: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (v. 21). Now what is the shape of this mission?

Trinitarian Mission and our role

By late twentieth century, mission is understood as something that originated in the heart of God. The Church did not invent ‘mission.’ It started with God the Father. In theological terms this is known as missio dei. God is a sending God. He sent his one and only Son. John 3:17 states the purpose that sending. ‘He did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.’ Now that Jesus the Son of God has ‘finished’ (tetelestai) the saving work, He wants his disciples to tell the world, the Good News of what has been accomplished by the obedient Son. But the disciples need not do this in their own strength. Jesus will ask the Father and sent His Holy Spirit to empower them for their mission. That is why he says, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” bringing to memory the how God breathed life to the first humans (Gen. 2).

Thus, we can see that all three members of the Trinity (Father, Son, and The Holy Spirit) are equally involved in the missio dei. The mission of God is entirely Trinitarian. What is special about this mission is that, as disciples, we all all participate in the mission of God. The first Apostles were given this trinitarian mission to go and make disciples of all nations Matt. 28:19-20), preaching and imparting the forgiveness which God in Christ has wrought for humanity. As an Apostolic church, we have inherited this mandate, both as a privilege, as well as a responsibility. How far are we aware of this; of the forgiveness we have received, and the responsibility we have in reaching out with this Good News?

The ‘Thomas episode’ is illuminating in many ways. I have always felt that Thomas represents the Western people. We in the west, have a rationalistic mind, which always wants to measure and quantify things and, if possible, to classify them into some categories. Something that does not fit into our rational mind or a category, does not appeal to our minds. Being absent, while Jesus appeared to his disciples, Thomas was probably feeling ‘missed out.’ He was not willing to latch on to other peoples’ convictions but demanded proof. I think he wanted empirical evidence! In that sense, I would say, he had a scientific approach. Did Jesus shun Thomas because he had his reservations? No. Jesus knew it was important for all his disciples to be on the same page, despite their personal inhibitions or approaches. It took a week more before Thomas had a personal encounter with the risen Lord. When it happened, Jesus again showed his hands and feet to Thomas and asked him to verify for himself the truth and veracity of Jesus’ bodily resurrection. The Scripture does not say whether Thomas put his hands into Jesus’ wounds. But that possibility was enough for the so called ‘doubting Thomas’ to be convinced. And then he makes his famous and perhaps the first credal statement: “My Lord and my God.” Theologians often say that the second paragraph of the Nicene creed is an explanation of Thomas’ confession here.

Yet, Jesus says that we can believe in Jesus and his resurrection and be blessed, without personally seeing the risen Lord. Today, You and I believe, not necessarily verifying the empirical evidence of the resurrection, but we believe in the Apostolic witness, which has been passed on to us through many generations of believers. In that sense, as Jesus said: “we are blessed who have not seen yet believed.” (v. 29)              

When we think of the ways by which the Apostles witnessed as was commanded by their Lord, it is interesting to see, that Thomas, a Middle Eastern person, who had a western mindset, went to the East, all the way to India. As some of you may know, he came to Kerala, my home state, in AD 52, and established seven churches there. It has always been a source of joy and pride for me to remember that I belonged to that Church which was established by Thomas himself. We bear testimony to the fact that, what the Apostles have passed on to us, is not wasted. Thomas later moved later to the neighboring state, where he was speared to death and became a martyr. The St Thomas Mount in Mylapore near Madras (Chennai), where he was buried, is a pilgrim center, even today.

You and I may not be called to die like the early apostles. Our challenge is to live for the Lord every day as his faithful witnesses. We can do so, only if we live in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray…    

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31 March 2024 Easter Sunday - The empty tomb and its significance

Mark 11:6. But the angel said to the women “Do not be alarmed, you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified, he has been raised, he is not here.

‘Come and see the place he lay’ Matt; 28:6.

Since this fact of resurrection is an oft repeated thing, somehow most Christians forget the importance of it. But right from the start, the Apostles knew that the truthfulness of resurrection is what makes the Christian faith unique.

Without resurrection there is no Christianity. If the resurrection had not taken place, Jesus is just another religious leader, perhaps a better one than others, because of his good life and noble teachings, but nothing more than that. If Jesus has indeed risen from the dead, he is the only one who can offer us a way to the living God the Father of us all. So, it is important for us to verify the truthfulness of the resurrection. And even the angels knew this very well. So, he says, Come and see the place he lay”.

In the Gospel of Matthew, we see two angels, but they say the same thing, “He is not here, because he has been raised-just as he said. Come and look at the place he lay.”

From the very first day of resurrection, the empty tomb was something that no one could sideline or ignore.

But for a sceptic, an empty tomb may not be enough. Have they gone to the wrong tomb and did the women have some kind of hallucination? They ask.

The Gospel narrative clearly states that Jesus was buried according to the Jewish custom in a tomb which was made for Joseph of Arimathea, who was a secret disciple and was also a member of the Sanhedrin. He was so much of an influential man that even the Governor was his friend. That is why he could ask for Jesus’ body for a decent burial.

I recently heard a joke about this. When Joseph gave his tomb for Jesus, someone close to him asked why he would give his tomb to an unknown person who was crucified as a criminal by the Romans. He said, ‘never mind,’ “it is only for a weekend”!

But history says that Joseph  never ‘used’ it, and it is still empty, and in that place stands the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Matthew’s Gospel 27:62-66 confirms that Pilot and the Chief Priests sealed the tomb and then posted a group of soldiers on guard. Can we say they secured a wrong empty tomb? That would mean both the governor and the temple authorities were plain stupid!

But though these pieces of evidence are conclusive to those who check the veracity of Jesus’ resurrection, the Christian message does not aim just to confirm that Jesus came back to life, but at what flows from resurrection.

The first thing that flows from the resurrection is that it proves Jesus is indeed who he claimed to be; the very Son of God, sent by the Father to be the Saviour of the world. And if he has died for all, then salvation from sin and death has been achieved. Death is no more to be feared but can be considered just a door to eternal life. At last, humanity has a new hope.

Last year at Easter, I spoke of the embodied hope which the resurrection of Jesus imparts to those who believe in him. At the second coming of our Lord, we who believe will all be transformed with an imperishable body like that of our risen saviour (Phil. 3:21). What a glorious hope!

Our salvation is dependent on our faith in the resurrection. We are eligible for salvation because Jesus has conquered sin, death, and the devil. He has paid a ransom for us; he defeated death through his own death and has dethroned the devil from his vantage point by disarming him of all his weapons. Finally, we can be free and that is possible through faith in the victorious one.

The good news is that it does not stop at securing our salvation or giving us the hope for eternal life. That are just the immediate personal benefits. Resurrection means a lot more than that.

Look at the disciples of Jesus. Earlier they were so afraid that all of them ran away when Jesus was arrested. The one who boldly declared that he will even lay down his life for Jesus, renounced him three times within a few hours. But when they were convinced that Jesus has indeed resurrected in a bodily way, they became bold beyond measure.

In the last twenty-five years or so, I have noticed that western Christians have lost their confidence in their faith. In what is understood as a loose form of secularism and pluralism, they have been silenced by those other voices who believes that Christians have nothing more than some unbelievable propositions to offer. We have failed to show that the claim of Christ is more than compelling. There is no alternative, but him and him alone under the heaven by which humanity can be saved.

This was true for those early Christians. They could challenge unbelievers of all sorts, whether they were kings, or governors, or philosophers or even common people. They knew that by putting their faith in a resurrected Saviour, they could redefine this present life in the light of eternal life which Jesus offered through his own death and resurrection. Life could be transformed.

Let me pause here and ask you, has the risen Saviour emboldened you? Have you discovered that you could enliven the things that you think are dead and gone.

In the weeks to come, I will be talking more about the resurrection appearances and what it means to you and me. But for now, if you have taken a baptism whether as a child or an adult know for sure, through that outwards sign, you were indeed identifying with the death of Christ.

‘Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized, into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore, we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.’ (Rom. 6:3-4))

Let us bow down our heads and silently re-commit our lives to the Lord, asking His Holy Spirit to renew our commitment to the one who died and rose again from the dead and now sitting at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for us.

Let us pray…