“It should be plain . . . that the One we preach is not Christ-in-a-vacuum, nor a mystical Christ unrelated to the real world, nor even only the Jesus of ancient history, but rather the contemporary Christ who once lived and died, and now lives to meet human need in all its variety today. To encounter Christ is to touch reality and experience transcendence. He gives us a sense of self-worth or personal significance, because he assures us of God’s love for us. He sets us free from guilt because he died for us, from the prison of our own self-centredness by the power of his resurrection, and from paralysing fear because he reigns, all the principalities and powers of evil having been put under his feet. He gives meaning to marriage and home, work and leisure, personhood and citizenship. He introduces us into his new community, the new humanity he is creating. He challenges us to go out into some segment of the world which does not acknowledge him, there to give ourselves in witness and service for him. He promises us that history is neither meaningless nor endless, for one day he will return to terminate it, to destroy death and to usher in the new universe of righteousness and peace” (John Stott, Between Two Worlds).
This is the Christ who once said, “If you don’t take up your cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciples,” because He knew that it’s better to save your own soul and lose everything else than to gain the whole world and lose your soul in the process.
It’s a good reminder for me on a rainy Sunday in April when hope for many can seem like its a million miles away. Hope has come and has never left. He’s still here.
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