“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.”
1 Corinthians 15:3-8

The whole host of American Christian experience lauds the death of Christ for our sins. In fact, that is what Paul does here: “That Christ died for our sins is of first importance.” We love that, and it is the flagship event for a personal relationship with Jesus. Yet, if you’re like me, we often pass right over the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. We forget that without it, the cross is nothing. More importantly, we forget the power that the resurrection brings to our lives. The resurrection changes our relationships, our work, our emotional life, the things we sacrifice for, the way we parent, and a host of other parts of our lives. If you haven’t taken this truth down into your bones, Paul says, then think about it. Think through all of the ways the resurrection must have happened, and even if you believe it to be true, think on it again.

There are innumerable reasons why the resurrection must have happened, among which Paul lists all of the people that the risen Christ appeared to. Yet, above and beyond those appearances, the whole world subtly but surely proclaims that the resurrection can’t not be true. If it isn’t we’re all hopeless. All of the suffering, pain, and death in our lives will reign forever if the resurrection is not true. Sadness will grow. Satan’s power will flourish. Yet, in the life of the Christian, little bursts of life begin to explode. The little deaths in our lives turn to little injections of heaven into a broken world. The non-Christian can’t know this, because it is only the work of the Holy Spirit, yet the longing is still there in every heart. To use the words of Mumford and Sons…

“And if your strife strikes at your sleep
Remember spring swaps snow for leaves
You’ll be happy and wholesome again
When the city clears and sun ascends.”

You see for the Christian, we not only embody the death of Christ, we take on the resurrection as well. If you find yourself closer to death than resurrection right now, take heart, for He is Risen!

Kyle

“Twas the night of the nativity, and all through the grounds, not a creature was stirring, not even the cows…”  Well, not exactly. If you made it to church early on the Sunday of the nativity, you may or may not have noticed a cow running around through Israel, Canaan, and Bethlehem. Somehow he got out of his pen, and decided that the whole nativity would be under his rule! Luckily, led by our own former intern Kris Smith he was cornered and returned to his home with the other animals. Oh how the GSPC internship continues to pay dividends!

This is just one of the many delightful stories that were born out of the nativity. There are numerous moments during November and early December that I bemoan the nativity and wonder why we continue to put so much time and energy into it, yet every year I remember why we do.  Again this year I heard several first time “nativity-goers” exclaim that it was the most wonderful thing they had seen in a long time, that although they didn’t know just what to expect, our rendition of a trip through the history of redemption exploded their expectations. We even had over a hundred and fifty new “likes” on our facebook page in the few days following the nativity. So, yet again, in redemptive fashion, all of the blood, sweat, and tears of many workdays and workweeks has produced a broken splendor.

And that, of course, is what we are, a broken splendor. The gospel humbles us into the dust, and at the very same time exalts us into the heavens (Keller). In Romans 5 Paul tells us that “while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” There are two glorious extremes in this verse that will change our lives if we let them. Christ not only died for us, he died for us precisely when we were ungodly. We carry these two great realities with us for the rest of our lives. At the very same time we are miserably sinful, more than we could ever know or imagine, yet also more loved, cherished, and adored than we could ever dream. We are justified sinners; honored failures; broken splendors.

If you are looking for something to meditate on for the first part of this year, take this truth deep down into your heart. Let it soak into your bones, so that pride diminishes and joy slowly but surely grows. For, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ dies for us.”

Happy New Year,

Kyle