This political season has produced a number of candidates who claim to be Christian and trumpet that above everything else. Like their faith covers over all of the defects that seem to trouble their candidacy. It doesn’t take me long to get very tired of listening to them. When Christianity’s proclamation becomes essentially self-righteousness, it loses most, if not all of its appeal.
Jesus resurrection is an incredible event. It is no wonder that the disciples had a hard time believing it. Jesus shows up on the road to Emmaus and talks to two strangers who were simply on their way. By, as the Gospel says, “opening the scriptures” to them, he convinces them that he is somebody special. When he breaks bread with them when they invite him to dinner, they recognize that he is the Jesus who was crucified and died on the cross, but who has come back from the dead and has been with them on the road. He then appears to his disciples and shows them his wounds and eats some fish in their presence. This is an astounding account of the resurrection with Jesus offering proof of his existence.
Unfortunately, we don’t have that kind of scientific evidence before us to prove the resurrection beyond argument. We are stuck with the problem of faith in simply believing in the truth of Jesus’ resurrection without anything but the accounts in the scriptures to bolster our faith. I know that there are many, many Christians who have a problem with this and who wonder over and over again at the possibility that the resurrection of Jesus may not have happened quite as we have heard. This leads us to a shortage of faith when death and loss catch up with us in our lives. How is it that we reconcile the death of a loved one with the shortage of proof of resurrection in our feeble faith? What is it that we need to do to see new life beyond the grave?
Death is not only physical death, but it also devastates life in other ways. We become addicted to alcohol, drugs or the making of money and become lost to each other because of our behavior. When these things happen to us, we sometimes become estranged from each other and we need to be resurrected back into human community. Encouraging resurrection is what I believe to be the function of Christian fellowship. To do this, we need to keep track of each other, to know when lives are going off the rails and without harsh judgment to be present with each other to offer a way back to life when the real nourishment of life seems to be lost.
What really annoys me about the Christians on the campaign trail is the way that they ignore Jesus’ call to compassion and caring for the poor and the outcast in favor of the rich and the secure. It is easy to court the votes of the rich, who will supply the candidates with needed money. It is harder to be cognizant of the sometimes extreme needs of the poor who not only have no money for the candidates but also do not have enough for themselves or their families. I understand the desire to cater to the rich. They provide good things for those who care for them; but to ignore the poor is not only a problem for the poor, it is a problem for all of us. Jesus asked us to care for them because nobody else will. That is the essence of Christianity and it is also a guide to resurrection. When we help people out of poverty and need, we provide a way for them to celebrate life. What better mission can we have?
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