Ministry, faith in Jesus, is costly. It appears ludicrous to our culture. It comes at great personal cost to all of us. It does not, in true form, earn you brownie points with anyone. And if Jesus is not who he says he is, then our culture is right: it is wasteful, ludicrous, and down-right dumb to believe in just another smart teacher.
But if Jesus can raise the dead, make life out of death, it is radically worthwhile to believe. If Jesus can raise the dead, bring new life to things that are dead and dying, then he is the only one who offers to true hope. If he is who he says he is, and does what he says he does, then to NOT believe in him is wasteful and ludicrous.
Resurrection power changes everything.
Wednesday night, when I got back from Regionals, I got a text from a friend, saying that their mom and mother-in-law of 8 weeks had just died of liver failure as a result of cancer. Minutes later, I got an email from another friend, saying that her mom had just received the "terminal count-down" notification. Her cancer was past treatment, after months of chemotherapy. Another friend, at age 23, after having an emergency spleenectomy is now in danger of total heart-failure as a result of an infection she contracted on an overseas project.
I categorically hate cancer, disease, death, dying, pain, suffering, etc. It makes me angry, because as I watch those I love suffer, hurt, cry out, I realize that there is something categorically broken in our world.
And I see that same brokenness, in different degrees, on my campus every day. Eating disorders, hatred, racism, unfair judgments, immoral economics, economy of "who-you-know" rather than hard-work ethics, sexual harassment and assault, abuse, hook-up culture, cheating, unforgiveness.
This whole disease thing? The whole brokenness thing? Not good. Not right. Not part of the original plan.
And I think it's actually okay to be angry. To hate death itself. To get angry about the fact that there is disease in the world. To hate brokenness in the world. I think there's actually some holiness there. But the question is... where do I go from there?
Cynicism says, that's the end of the story. It sucks. Live life for yourself while you can because death and brokenness are an inevitable conclusion.
Hope says, that's not the end of the story.
Resurrection power changes everything.
We believe in a God who brings new life with his breath.
Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' " [Ezekiel 37:4-6]
We believe in a God who has calls forth life from death.
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." [John 11:43-44]
We believe in a God who triumphs over the power of evil, death, disease, brokenness. The imperishable who clothes us, not with our smelly grave clothes, but with his wholeness.
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." [1 Corinthians 15:54]
We believe in a God who has come to make all things new.
"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" [Revelation 21:3-5]
- Resurrection says, death is not the end of the story. Disease and death and dying will one day cease.
- Resurrection says, these things which appear dead, hopeless, wasted, Jesus can redeem.
- Resurrection says, those areas of campus, areas of ministry which appear dead, Jesus can call out life there too.
- Resurrection says, these places of personal pain, fear, and death, Jesus offers hope that this is not the end of the story.
- Resurrection says, those areas of me which are dead and dying, Jesus can breathe life into.
- Resurrection says, the cost of following Jesus is worthwhile, because he offers hope for total restoration with power guaranteed by his own triumph over death.
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