And there’s more!

I was watching an episode of a TV show the other day and one of the scenes struck me. The main character went into a church and knelt to pray. But as he knelt he said something to the effect of: There is no comfort or solace from above or below. There is just us. I pray to me…for me. In some ways, you might admire his honesty, and yet there is more.

This gets at a common question that some more skeptical people have asked, ‘is there anything more to life after death’? Perhaps it is a question that even less skeptical people have asked. Perhaps it is a question that even we have asked. The character in the show was not interested in anything that he couldn’t see, or hear, or touch. The personal tension came to a breaking point when his wife asked him if he thought about what they want to leave behind once they are gone [dead]. The man said that they don’t do anything for it to be left behind, but they have each other and that the things that they do will be for each other. Her response? “But we’ll be…dead.” There has got to be more.

Paul says that if Christ had not been raised from the dead then our faith is in vain. If Christ had not been raised from the dead, then there wouldn’t be any more, no more to the story, no more to our story, no more to the world’s story. All we would have is today [maybe] and so we might as well eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die. But there IS more!

Easter tells us this and more! Christ’s resurrection means that we live a new life in God’s forgiveness even now [Romans 6], and there’s more! Christ is raised from the dead right now as the first fruits. Christ being the first fruits means that those who are in Christ and those who have died in Christ will one day rise to be with Him, even though it will happen after him. There is more to this life than just the here-and-now and the things we see, hear, or touch. Christ’s resurrection means that we look forward to that day when our Lord returns in order to raise us up to be with Him forever. In light of that, He promises us that there’s more: “as it is written, ‘no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.’”

My family and I would like to wish you a blessed Easter! We look forward to celebrating this important festival in the church-year with you for the second time [can you believe it?]. In Christ, there is always more! May God bless each of you throughout the rest of Lent and our Easter celebration.