Questions of faith and love
Morro Gaúcho, Brasil by Anderson Fleck (CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons)
“…although the historical arguments for Jesus’s bodily resurrection are truly strong, we must never suppose that they will do more than bring people to the questions faced by Thomas and Peter, the questions of faith and love. We cannot use a supposedly objective historical epistemology as the ultimate ground for the truth of Easter. To do so would be like someone who lit a candle to see whether the sun had risen.”
— N. T. Wright
I imagine that Wright’s words will make sense to many of us who believe in the resurrection as the pivotal moment in history. For others, they may be puzzling, even nonsensical.
Faith, hope, love; each is ultimately a decision that goes far beyond initial acceptance of the idea. For skeptics, the decision to adopt a belief system that defies natural law and human tendency may appear as the most difficult step of becoming a disciple of Jesus. Yet it’s only the first step in a lifetime of challenge and growth.
Experience will teach us that truth goes deeper than objective “fact” and encompasses far more than historical events and individual testimonies, however trustworthy and proven they may be. If our journey is a long one by earthly standards, we likely will look back in astonishment at how much bigger, brighter and overwhelmingly awe-inspiring the truth has become; how little of it, we now realize, that we have known, and how much we long for the morning when the brilliance of sunrise will render our little candles obsolete.
Until then, we rejoice that we “know whom [we] have believed.” Happy Easter!
This post was first published on April 2 (Easter weekend) seven years ago today. The date was adjusted to allow for re-posting on Easter weekend this year. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.
- Posted in: Uncategorized
- Tagged: Christianity, Easter, faith, hope, Jesus, joy, life, light, love, resurrection, springtime, truth
Defeat Despair 
You have given us another encouraging, beautiful post. I love the words “how much we long for the morning when the brilliance of sunrise will render our little candles obsolete.” There is within us a longing for that better place that believers call Heaven. We get to see and experience glimpses of it here, and how wonderful they are for us to absorb! Right now, as I type this at early dawn on the morning before Easter, a bird outside my window is singing the most lovely song. She knows that sunrise is coming.
Have a blessed Easter and I hope you’re feeling a bit better.
Thank you Judy. I so appreciate your kind words about the blog. Yes, I am feeling a bit better. The pain has diminshed to what I would call mostly discomfort now, and I’m not minding the soft foods since I am eating only for nourishment instead of enjoyment. So much of my current battle is a psychological one; it’s really distressing to see the horrible mess of my face (mostly my mouth) right now, but I am grateful to be alive and to have the hope of competent, caring medical help to put things back together, if not as good as new, at least something resembling “normal.” But knowing that this process will come in stages stretching out somewhere between one and two years (best case scenario) is something that can be overwhelming if I think about it. But “one day at a time” is always a good way to live! And has never been more needed for me than now. Thanks so much for your friendship! It means more than you know.
Julia, I pray you are doing much better after the fall. Love to you and Matt!
Hi Cherie, thanks so much for your prayers and good wishes. Matt’s heart valve surgery was postponed but should happen very soon, and I hope and trust I will be feeling well enough to be at the hospital with him. He’s doing great as always. My sister was here to help out and she snapped this photo of him a couple of days ago. Thanks for caring!
Julia, let me just say thank you not just for your blog but years of friendship. I thought about you today as we were invited to breakfast at Shady Maple .You are in our daily prayers not just in your recovery but the challenges you face in the near future. Before I forgot as I’m still full from that bif ( big) many I sound like Marty McFly from “Back to the Future ” I digress. Happy Easter to you and Matt. Guess I’ll wait till Monday when Easter candy is 50% off. I digress
Hi Raynard, thank you for your friendship also! You and Mary have been so good to keep us in prayers, and we need them more than ever. I also need to digress here and there to keep my mind off more distressing topics! 😀 Happy Easter to you both, and please give Destiny an extra treat for me.
Happy Easter to you, my dear friend. ✝️💜 As the sliver of sunrise on this glorious day gives us so much hope, we count our blessings. I think of you daily and recall so many times that we’ve shared on our most special Verandah, even virtually! You are my special friend and we’ll always have that bond created years ago. Blessings to you and Matt today and always❣️
Thank you Sheila. I’m guessing you don’t know what happened to me two and a half weeks ago. You can piece it together from some of the comments on recent posts. As the crises and bad news seem to keep coming for me, counting my blessings is more important than ever. Especially when they seem fewer than they were just a short while ago! ❤