In the Extreme

Which was the better football team in a game that went 21 to 20? Which team was better in a game that went 76 to 2? The second game offers a clearer case.

Seeing things in the extreme makes them clearer and more certain. That God cares about us may not seem clear in a situation where people dislike us, where natural disasters overwhelm us, where health issues weigh us down, where the future looks bleak.

That Christianity is true may not seem clear when we are pressed by alternative beliefs about where the world came from, inviting behaviors that people want us to join in with them, other interests that use up our time, talent, and treasure.

Christ’s death on a cross is an extreme demonstration of divine love; the empty tomb after his resurrection is an extreme proof of Christian truth. The two combine in our Lord’s last “statement” on human living. So, remembering that twofold event occupies a distinctive place in our gathering here to jump-start the week ahead.