Acts 17: 22-31(page 926 in our pew Bibles) A skillful piece of writing that takes us
from acknowledging the universal quest for God (who Paul says is closer than we
all think) to saying that this God has been definitively revealed to us through
the raising from the dead of the man Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 3:13-22 (page 1016 in our pew Bibles) A piece
hopefully next to the hearts of all of us. "For it
is better to suffer for doing good, if that is God's will, than for doing
evil"
John 14: 15-21(page 901 in our pew Bibles). Jesus promises the Holy Spirit, sent by
the Father to be with us forever. God Himself, the Spirit of Jesus to be with
us. We are not orphans, we are children of God.
Saint Paul’s audience was perhaps little different to a
modern audience. In Britain polls consistently reveal a high rate of belief in
God and that most people pray if only occasionally, but adherence to a specific faith appears to be far less
important in the living of their daily lives.
Paul’s audience shared some similarities in that belief in
God was very widespread but no-one could pin down exactly what this God was
like or what He expected from them. God existed but no one was clear what He
was like. They even had an altar with the inscription “To the unknown God”.
Paul’s line of argument is that God is nearer to all of us
than we realise for in him we live and move and have our being – that’s
everyone from celebrity atheists like Richard Dawkins or Ricky Gervais or
Stephen Fry to the followers of other faiths.
Paul contends that if you want to discover the truth about God’s character,
will and nature, you only have to look in one place. Look at how He has
revealed Himself in Jesus Christ. And the guarantee that this is so is that
Jesus was raised from the dead.
The resurrection of Jesus and all that fact contains is
absolutely central to the faith. We don’t say we know what God is like because
we’ve come up with a clever formula, or we’ve speant hours in philosophical
debate.
We know what God is like because we know that Jesus, a human
being was raised from the dead by God. Jesus was seen and experienced by people
after he had died. Our faith works outwards from this one central fact.
If the resurrection did not happen then our faith is
worthless. Jesus is true not just for people who choose to believe in him as
one option amongst many. Jesus is true for all people at all times in all
places.
Many of those people listening just mocked as many people
today just mock, but Jesus and his resurrection is an objective fact that has a bearing on every single life
whether it is believed or not.
That is why Easter is the centre of the Christian faith. We
will all die but He gives his children eternal life
We are still in the Easter season, our Easter Garden is
still up, we still wear white stoles – when does this season end?
It only ends when the complete Easter event draws to its
climax, and when is that? It is Pentecost. We acknowledge in our liturgy and
observing of the liturgical seasons that the whole movement through Lent, Good
Friday, Easter Sunday, Ascension day, is only completed when the whole series of
events is crowned by the Giving of the Holy Spirit that we celebrate on the
fourth of June this year.
Because Jesus is not just a historical event but a living
reality. Jesus is alive
Jesus Himself promises the Holy Spirit, so that even though
Jesus couldn’t be with us physically for ever God’s Spirit will be with us
forever.
He says I will not leave you as Orphans. You know him for he
dwells with you and will be in you.
Because I live, you will live and the seal or guarantor that
this is true is the giving of the Holy Spirit which is given by the Father. He
gives himself, his own Spirit, which is the same Spirit that rested on Jesus at
his baptism.
God makes his home with us and we listen to his voice. No
matter where that takes us – it took Jesus to his death – we follow because it
is right and just and true.
