Most of my life I have heard people say “Jesus is the answer.” Well, yes, in one sense, obviously Jesus is the total answer. The trouble is I go back and forth whether this is an incredibly profound statement, or simply a shallow, easy bone thrown to the really hard, doggy things life sometimes presents us.

I have a better slogan for us to ponder: “Jesus is the question.” In fact, as we recover from celebrating Easter, and realize there was a spiritual dimension to it, even if sometimes buried in all the bunnies, ham and easter parades. Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Did you hear me correctly? Jesus Christ rose from the dead. With something incredible like that being affirmed Easter Sunday how can we focus on anything but “Jesus is the question”?

Just who is this Jesus Christ who did something that was literally death defying? Someone who threw the brakes on the whole natural order, who refuted the universality of the second law of thermodynamics, and who audaciously claimed that we, too, would experience what he lived through?

“Jesus is the question.” And how! Questions. This event unleashes all the mystery of the universe, all the excitement of discovery, all the thrill of exploration, all the extreme limit pushing a person can handle. It should keep us up nights praying and wrestling and struggling. What does this mean for me? What does this mean for our world? Do I believe it? If I do not think I believe it, can I casually ignore and dismiss it, or must I treat it with the respect it’s enormous implications deserve?

This world has shallow. It has superficial. Often we take our faith in easily digested sound bites, and then when divorce or cancer or even our own human failure hits us, we fall apart. “Jesus is the answer” rings untrue, and our faith fails. Only when we do real soul-searching, heart-and-mind-expanding grappling with the question of Jesus, and how to connect what we discover there with our life do we realize both slogans are profound hints of heavenly mysteries. Jesus. The Question? The Answer? Absolutely. So what? How does he fit in my life today?

The time is approaching (April 21st) when runners will line up in Hopkinton for the 2008 Boston Marathon. I can imagine the excitement in the air - the eager expectations of the runners who have trained for months to make it to the finish line in downtown Boston. I can see in my mind's eye the bright colors of the runners as they stretch and warm up for the grueling miles ahead. The task is clear before them. They are ready to run the race. If it is raining, it makes no difference. If it is cold or hot, it makes no difference. The course is set before them them, and the race will go on.

It is interesting that the Bible several times
compares the Christian life to a race. The apostle Paul says, "I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I my finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." (Acts 9:24) Later, he returns to the theme of the race. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." (1 Corinthians 9:24)

Runners for the marathon have a strict schedule of training. Much of it takes place in the cold, dark hours of winter. The runners in my family have put in many hours of training while most of us were warm and snug in our beds. But it was worth the price to them for the possibility of running the race.

As Christians we must also train to live as Christ has commanded us. We must study his word and seek his guidance. We must listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit as he directs our lives. We must be obedient to a lifestyle that prepares us for the spiritual race ahead. Then at then end of our lives we can join with Paul who says. "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7,8) In these two verses Paul looks back over 30 years of labor as an apostle and compares his life to that of an athlete who has engaged successfully in a contest.

Happy runnning!

He is Risen!

He is Risen!

HE IS RISEN!

The cry arose that first Easter morning in the garden when the women came to Jesus' tomb and realized that his body was no longer there. Then He appeared and the cry increased in intensity and echoed down the ages of history. It reverberated through the disciples' hiding places and emboldened them to speak out to all who would listen. He is risen!

It overtook the disheartened disciples on the Emmaus Road. He is risen!

It swelled and exploded with power at Pentecost. It traveled along the trade routes of ancient Europe and Asia. It created a bond between those of different skin colors and languages and cultures. He is risen!

It echoed through the catacombs as the early church met amid danger and secrecy. It was cried out as those early Christians faced the lions and gladiators. He is risen!

It empowered the early church councils and medieval monasteries. It brought comfort through the Plague and Black Death. He is risen!

It strengthened the reformers! It set Christianity apart from all the other religions whose founders lay buried in their tombs. He is risen!

It was whispered in the foxholes of the many wars. It has power to unseat and dispel evil. He is risen!

It resides among the Christians across our troubled world. He is risen!

It is clung to by immigrants seeking help and
desperate believers who have no hope apart from their Savior. He is risen!

It is emblazoned upon our hearts and souls. He is risen!

It mirrors the wonder of the scared and mysterious! He is risen!

It spread across the world and is still moving and gathering strength! Death is defeated! Hallelujah! He is risen!

Happy Easter!
HE IS RISEN!

Lent is a the season of time to prepare for Easter. Growing up in a Southern Baptist Church, I don't remember there being any focus on Lent. When I went to New Orleans to teach school, I learned that Lent followed Mardi Gras. In fact, Mardi Gras was a wild celebration that happened before Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the somber time leading up to Good Friday. The people of New Orleans partied first and then focused on the serious business of Christ's journey to the cross.

We are in the middle of a series of Wednesday night Lenten services here at First Baptist. We meet in the small chapel in the east wing of the church. We sing hymns and listen to a speaker talk about Jesus' life and ministry. Then we reflect on what is said and discuss it. We ponder how to apply Christ's teachings to our own lives. It is a special time for those of us who attend.

Perhaps one of the hardest parts of Lent is preparing our own heart to remember Christ's death on the cross for our sins. It calls for us to repent of our sins. We don't like to think about that. At our first service, Pastor Jon talked about how hard the concept of repentance is for us. He said that when we are feeling good and happy and strong, we don't want to focus on those things that we have done that are wrong. We see ourselves as pretty good people. We like being "up" and don't want to admit that we have sinned before a righteous God.

On the other hand, when we are feeling "down" we don't like to think that our own sinfulness is what made it necessary for Christ to have to die on the cross. We don't like feeling guilty. It's not a comfortable place to be. However, unless we accept the fact that we are all sinners, we can't truly understand the cost of the forgiveness of sin. The Bible tells us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

As we confess our sins, we realize the great gift that God gave to us when he sent Jesus to die in our place. Then we can truly look forward to Easter when we celebrate Christ's victory over sin and death. We can join with him and become free. Hallelujah!