The Symbol of Christianity
‘Life is a dirty trick, a short journey from nothingness to nothingness.’ Ernest Hemmingway
Kirk Coban, of the band Nirvana, found his dairies upon his death in 1994, they found he had written ‘I am a stain. I am so ugly. I hate myself. I want to die.’
Satre, in his ‘Creedo’, writes ‘Here we are, all of us, eating and drinking to preserve our precious existence, and there is nothing, nothing, absolutely no reason for existence.’
But it was C S Lewis who said that he believes in Christianity like he believes in the Sun – not because he can see it but because he can see all other things in their proper way by it.
The symbol of Christianity is not the dead figure on a crucifix. It is an empty tomb. It is the triumphant Christ with the cross broken beneath His feet. He is risen, and so He is not 2,000 years away. He is really here and those who call out to Him discover Him as a Saviour and as a Friend.
This is the ‘good news story’ we are called to take out to the world – the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is the demonstration of truthfulness of all Christ’s claims and the trustworthiness of all Christ’s promises. It is also a reminder to us of the perfection of the saving work of Jesus – that what is said in the Bible about Him being a Saviour for your sins you may rely on entirely, that you may and should trust it explicitly and implicitly.
It declares that all other religions are merely illusions, but that in the resurrection of Jesus all who believe in Him are free indeed – free from sin, free from a guilty conscience, free from the fear of death, free to enjoy life full of hope and for God.