Getting ready for Easter

Lead in to Thought for the Week for Easter 2013

Living a faith based life makes one want to be better in this life. But it is not always easy. The only way I can be better is by learning more of what the Bible teaches. I had an interesting conversation this week as I was reminded that there are many that do not live faith based lives. They are relying on the Bible not being true or that they can perhaps pick and choose which parts they like. I was asked point blank if I really believed the Bible is true. My answer is an emphatic ‘YES’, just in case you are wondering. I went on to explain to the one asking the question that the challenge is that too often while I believe it to be true, I still struggle at times to understand some of the things it says.

But one part is clear to me , it is that Jesus lived, God loves me enough for Jesus to come to earth to die and offer salvation to whoever calls on the name of the Lord and believes in the resurrection. (Romans 10:9) Which brings me to this next week as Christians prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on the day we call Easter.  Don’t get me wrong Christmas is precious and brings out warm fuzzy feelings in all of us. I confess Easter is a bit harder to digest in that we have to come to grips with the idea that that babe in the manger becomes the man on the cross. That the creator God knew from the beginning that Jesus would come to earth to suffer and die for us. But God also knew that there would be victory over that same death. 

The question has also been asked of me: If Jesus resurrection wasn’t real would you still be a Christian? My answer to that is an emphatic - NO!! Paul the Apostle also assures us that he wouldn’t have been a follower of Jesus either if he had not been convinced of that resurrection. In fact he said if there was no resurrection we would be most miserable of all men. Our misery would be more profound than the suffering characters in the story Les Mise̕rables. 

Thankfully there is a resurrection to look back on and forward to and so I hope that in the coming week you will find a place to worship and hear the story of the Jesus who changed the world. That in the next week you will hear of the power of Jesus as He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and then hear the stories of the Passion Week that then lead us to the morning of Easter... (there will be services throughout Holy Week.)

This past Sunday I was preaching from John 8 and the verse I focused on was quoting Jesus as He said “I am the Light of the World.” Such a profound thought to bring me to Holy Week. It was spiritually dark in His day and I am learning that we face the same sense of spiritually dark thought today as well. People that have never read the Bible reject it. And even worse are those that have read it and reject the parts they don’t like. But I will still believe and teach it and celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. It is the power of the One who is Light who gives us hope!

Join me and other Christians in this journey of belief and understanding,

Rev. Jon Bergen