This week in Youth Group we had a bunch of space aliens asking questions of us and trying to figure out what a “Christian” was. The youth playing the part of aliens worked hard on their questions, from “are you born a Christian?” to “if someone is really nice and does good things, does that automatically make them a Christian?”
The youth playing the part of humans divided up into two groups where they came up with different explanations for what a Christian might be. When the aliens asked about God – “how do you know if God is real?” – one group said that the question was beside the point. To them, believing in God was much less essential than following the way of Jesus and doing what he taught us to do. The other group felt believing in God was important, but they said there was no way to know if God is real – you have to feel it in your heart and believe it.
As we approach the mystery of Easter I think we would all do well to listen to the wisdom of these youth. Like believing in God, believing in the resurrection can be baffling sometimes. The resurrection stories cause many people to stumble over their raw unbelievability… a three-day-dead body coming back to life?? But as the youth grappled with questions about believing in God, they shared some solid perspectives that we can take and keep with us. Our hearts can lead in this matter, and we can let our brains follow the heart’s lead. There are more important questions than “how?” and “what proof?”… We can ask “what difference does it make?” and “how does it affect your life?” instead. If people can see us practicing resurrection in our own lives, bringing back to life what has died, and standing against the injustice that kills innocent people, the question will be answered even before it is asked. As we walk into the darkness and mystery of Holy Week, let’s carry that strength with us, and be the ones to practice resurrection.
Every Blessing,
Talitha