I have a friend who thinks that we humans have some morbid fascination with death.
I tend to agree with her.
We participate in elaborate funerals. We gather our dead in large rolling cemeteries. We construct huge monuments and memorials to commemorate those who have gone before us. Time and time again we return to the memory of the past, dwelling on what was instead of focusing on what is.
How often do we do that with God?
Do we return time and time again to the tomb, remembering Jesus as he was, treating him like he’s still there?
“Why do you look for the living among the dead?
He is not here;
He has risen!”
If you were going to write a song about that, what would it say?
“There is a God. He is alive!”
Maybe someone should do that.
Sadly, I still think my friend is right. We sing songs like “I serve a risen Savior” and “Our God He is Alive!” but seem to act in so many ways like God does not exist at all. Perhaps the most foolish group of people in the world are those who claim to believe God exists, yet act as if he does not. Kreeft has a brilliant comment on the popularity of this position in his ethics class.
My hope is that we will give the death of Christ the proper reverence it deserves, but not too much – that it will become another part of the story of Christ – not the only part.