One day I believed in Santa, the next I did not. The 24 hour deterioration of my belief in St. Nick started on school field trip. I was telling my best friend about what I had asked the jolly saint for and he responded that he did not believe in Chris Cringle anymore. “Why not?” The answer was simple, my best friend figured out that Santa was as real as the tooth fairy, Easter bunny and the Chupacabra. He made me mad. I wanted to hold on to this childish fantasy… I had proof. So I went home and asked my parents about it. “Mom, Dad… is Santa real?” No. Looking back I owe my best friend a big thank you. Imagine if I had walked through life never realizing that Santa and company were figments of my childish imagination. Just imagine a 30 year old, any 30 year old still writing letters to Santa, placing his unbrushed teeth under his pillow, hunting in his yard for eggs and wishing upon stars. I guess the moral is that at some point we all have to grow up.
This week at church we are going to look at the resurrection of Jesus. It is the central piece of our faith that separates us from every other system of belief in the world. Here is the conclusion I have come to… If we do not believe that Jesus resurrected physically, then Jesus is no different Santa, the Easter bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the infamous Chuppacabra. Scripture states it like this in 1 Corinthians 15 “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” If Jesus has not been raised from the dead, Christians are simply people who hold to a childish fantasy.
I believe that Jesus has been raised from the dead. I believe that he is now seated at the right hand of God as our advocate. I believe that one day I will follow him in resurrection. At some point in life every person must decide what is real and what is imagination. This I know, Christ Jesus is not a figment, he is God’s Son, crucified for our sins and raised from the dead. He is the real deal.
