Greener: Faith Beyond Hope

A Personal Reflection, Not a Sermon
This is a piece written by an old man who does not pretend to in any way be an expert on theology in general, or Christianity in particular. For that, you can contact my brother, the Methodist minister. Instead, this is simply how a faltering Presbyterian has come to view matters. Sure, I have served my time as a Ruling Elder, attended my share of Bible studies, and the like, but please do understand all that follows is simply a personal take on things, not an effort to persuade you of anything. So, with tomorrow being Easter Sunday, here goes.

Christmas: A Season of Hope and Tradition
Every Christmas, families gather together to celebrate the holiday. Every aspect of the day itself has become monetized beyond description. As a society, we debate whether to even utter the words “Merry Christmas” and what is intended if they are spoken. It seems safe to say that many have come to view Christmas as a day to enjoy as a matter of the many things that are often brought together at one time—the giving of gifts, the possibility (if not the reality) God has better things in mind for humanity than what we observe on a daily basis, hoping for the happiness of others, even taking the time to share our bounty with others not so fortunate. If this sounds to be a lot like Thanksgiving (save for exchanging gifts), it is because, in many ways, that is what the secular side of Christmas increasingly has become in my view.

Faith at Christmas: Fingers Crossed
Drifting to the religious side of Christmas, for most folks who spend time thinking about the day with that in mind, it is less about the certainty that God loved us so much that He determined to come to earth to save us. The feelings I observe center more on a hope that it is true that God is capable of doing this amazing thing, and, in fact, did so. “Could it be God has done this? I hope and pray that it is so.” There is a” fingers crossed” element to all of it.

The Easy Part of Faith
Before someone feels the need to apprise me of the fact that many Christians truly view Christmas as a part of the larger story and truly view the day as being holy because of that belief, so stipulated. The shorthand for that has become “the reason for the season.” Still yet, I do not see most, and certainly not all, of these individuals concluding this is the defining point on the matter of what it means to claim to be a Christian. Another way of putting it might be that Christmas is the easy part of our faith.

Easter: From Hope to Conviction
Now, Easter is vastly different for me, and how I perceive others who rejoice and celebrate the day look at things. No longer is it about the hope of God coming down to earth to save us. Suddenly, it is accepting, embracing, and fully trusting that He did so. Our lives are no longer defined by, or limited to, earthly considerations.

Grace, Failure, and the Need for Redemption
Certainly, Christians should do all that we can to reflect grace in thought, word, and deed. Nevertheless, we accept that all too often we fall woefully short. That helps account for so many denominations having a Prayer of Confession each week. We believe that by acknowledging our failures and praying for God’s guidance, we can do better. We believe Jesus Christ was truly man and truly God at the same time. (At least I am a little shaky on the role of the Holy Ghost in all of this and have long wished more time was spent explaining that to us in church.)

Living with Trust in God’s Plan
We believe our lives, once committed to Jesus as Savior, are part of God’s plan to bring his kingdom to earth as it is in heaven (part of the Lord’s prayer). As the saying goes, a Christian is born again. In all of this, we trust God to do a better job of guiding us than any of us could hope to do without His presence and love. Easter means to me there is a truth to: He has risen. He has risen indeed.

A Perspective on Time and Eternity
My careful study has convinced me that if I live to be 100, that would still be nothing but a blip in the history of mankind. While doing my miserable best to do the right thing while I am here, I have faith that eternity is more than a grave. I have trust that if this were all some sort of scam, we would know it at some point in the 2000-plus years Christianity has been around.

The Last Page Already Written
I often quote my soon-to-be 99-year-old mother and will do so again. “I have read the last page in the book, and good outs.” In the end, God wins. Praise be.

Remember This
Remember this: Being faithful is about trust. Easter defines what we trust as Christians.