Christ is risen! Alleluia! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia! If I had only a minute to explain the Christian faith, those are the words I would use. The story has been told of community wide gathering in the early days of the Soviet Union to celebrate the virtues of the workers. The whole town was required to be in the town square early in the day to hear all the town leaders talk about how wonderful things were for everyone now that the communist party was in charge of all aspects of life. The Bishop was also ordered to be one of the speakers. Through the day speaker after speaker told the people what they were required to say. Late in the day the organizer of the event told the Bishop that he would be the next and final speaker. However, he reminded the Bishop that the hour was late and the people grew weary. The organizer suggested that the Bishop be brief. The Bishop claimed to the podium and looked out at the people of the town – the people who he was used to leading in prayer. After a short pause the Bishop raised his voice and proclaimed to the people: “Christ is risen!” And the whole crowd respond with the first enthusiasm they had shown all day: “Christ is risen indeed!”
For all the volumes that have been written explaining the Christian faith, our message is quite simple: Christ is risen. Death is conquered. God in Christ has won the eternal victory over death.
It would be wonderful to understand how God accomplished this, but the how does not matter. Christ is risen, and ours is but to accept and celebrate. Alleluia!
Pastor Bill