Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, together with his wife, Kay, went through a devastating loss when their 27 year-old son Matthew took his own life after battling depression and mental illness for years.
After this tragedy, Rick said, "I've often been asked, 'How have you made it? How have you kept going in your pain?' And I've often replied, 'The answer is Easter.'
"You see, the death and the burial and the resurrection of Jesus happened over three days. Friday was the day of suffering and pain and agony. Saturday was the day of doubt and confusion and misery. But Easter—that Sunday—was the day of hope and joy and victory.
"And here's the fact of life: you will face these three days over and over in your lifetime. And when you do, you'll find yourself asking—as I did—three fundamental questions. #1: 'What do I do in my days of pain?'
#2.'How do I get through my days of confusion and doubt?'
#3. 'How do I get to the days of joy and victory?'
"The answer is Easter." Hope through our personal crises and losses. Hope for our world.
An article in the Wall Street Journal mentions some of the positive outcomes brought to the ancient world through Christian faith:
• A new dignity given to woman
• A self-denying healthcare provided to plague suf erers
• A focus on family health and growth
• A willingness to embrace death as martyrs—knowing that death did not have the final word
The article suggests that it's only through the Easter Ef ect, that these changes make sense. The social changes that followed Good Friday occur only if believers actually believed in the resurrection of Jesus.
The latest edition of Time magazine includes a report on a weeks-long worship service at Asbury University (Kentucky), attracting tens of thousands, along with national media attention. A professor there explained:
“Before it became a public revival, this experience felt like a long exhale taken by my anxious students reeling from the pressures of Covid-19 and social media—and then an infilling a holy calm.”
On all levels, belief in a living Christ, present by his Spirit, brings hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5)
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