The weekend is kind of over. We have read and be reminded of the death of Christ. We have, yesterday (well it is Monday now in NZ) been reminded of the resurrection, and as the preacher said last night, this changes everything.

For we do not have to live in despair. There is the fear of annihilation within us, that our struggles and suffering are for no reason. And dealing with this exhausting.

Which has also been part of this Easter, for a couple of reasons: I am reading the Three Body Problem . And the despair that reeks off it is catching: the cultural revolution destroyed all that was good in this version of China. And I missed the morning service, for the required ward round meant I sat with over a handful of people who were acutely suicidal.

I thanked the preacher after the service, because I needed to reminded that our hope is not from ourselves, but from Christ. It is not our doing, but his alone. And we live in the sure and certain hope that we will walk out of our graves, as Christ did.

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

(Mark 16:1-8 ESV)

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

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. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

(1 Corinthians 15:1-11 ESV)

Christianity is not nice. It is true. The core fact is that Christ rose from the dead. Without that, there is no Christianity, and no salvation.

It is not a religion we would make, that would be some form of thing that worships violence and lust and rage: the Germans had this well worked out with their cult of Odin and the image of Valhalla.

It is not a religion that says we will perfect or relies on the worthiness of saints or the courage of martyrs, though both exist. It relies on God, for God alone is faithful. The promises of God are more sure than those of our pension funds or politicians.

And the spirit of this age is against this. We are not to believe, we are not allowed to believe, because then the lies of this time will be shown in the spotlight, and we will realize that there is nothing behind the pretensions of our ruling class.

But Christ is risen, and in that we have hope.

UPDATE

Vox has a very good Easter Post.

The solution to the decline of the West is not to be found in politics, in tribalism, in violence, or even in the courage of its defenders. The solution is the hope that can only come from the faith in the Risen Lord Jesus Christ and obedience to the Word of God.

Without that faith, Western Man lacks purpose. Without that obedience, the nations of Europe miss the societal discipline that made them historically great. As C.R. Hallpike has shown, neither science nor secular humanism are credible replacements for Christianity and the cultural confidence that is a consequence of Christian hope and Christian faith.

So, don’t despair that the soldiers of Islam are on the march again. Don’t despair that the weak-in-faith have succumbed to temptation and doubt and have fallen away. Don’t despair that the numbers of the faithful have dwindled. Don’t despair that the pews of the unfaithful churches are empty. Don’t despair that those who call themselves Christian leaders throw the children’s bread to the dogs.

And don’t be surprised that the worship of the world and acceptance of its Narrative has enervated the converged institutions. All of this should fill you with confidence, with certainty, because all of it is exactly as we were told it would be.

Remember, Jesus Christ of Nazareth required a mere 12 apostles to change the course of human history and shake the world. It doesn’t matter if there are one billion believers or only one dozen, the Gates of Hell will not prevail.

So stand firm in your faith. Stand fast. Speak fearlessly. When you feel fear, when you feel doubt, think about the empty tomb. For he is risen and he has not given you a spirit of fear, but of victory. The victory that we celebrate today.

Happy Easter.

From the comments.

Thanks Vox, I also needed that. I may be an angry slash despairing piece of human wreckage, but Jesus loved me, took pity on my wretched condition and paid for all. This hope is unassailable and carries us through even when all seems lost.

Happy Easter. On Thursday the google home page celebrated an obscure (to me) Hindu holy day. Today – nothing. Rejoice!

The rainbow-colored characters of today’s Google is a not-so-subtle middle-finger at traditional Christian values. Let them hate and us rejoice.