Do you believe in God?

Tomorrow I shall be taking my 80th funeral service at Manchester Crematorium. Most of my funerals have beeen arranged through a friend who is a funeral director in Manchester. Over the past few years that I have provided this service I have felt privileged. It has been a privilege to enter the houses of strangers and discover that though they do not attend church they have a sort of faith.

I have seen hard bitten young men crying copious tears as they carry their father's coffin into church. The largest congregations have been when the deceased has many friends through drinking regularly in local pubs. People one would normally be uncertain of give comfort to their friends in their grieving. Huge young men of 20 stones or more have cried bucketfuls of tears at some of the funerals. Most have no religion at all and feel uncomfortable when I talk about God and Jesus.

The deceased at tomorrow's funeral was described by his sister as an atheist. But the service will not change because of this. He might not have believed in God but God certainly cares for him just as he does for me. In the past some IRA members have refused to recognise the court of law that has tried them for serious crime. Often the judge's response was "but this court recognises you." Tomorrow a man will be remembered and prayed for despite the fact he did not believe in God. He was loved by God no less and no more than God cares for me. Therefore I shall pray for him at the service.

The love of God does not differentiate between believers and atheists. It sees no merit in a Christian above that of an atheist or agnostic. We are all equal in God's sight and there is nothing anyone can do to change this. This is why none of us can work our way to heaven. There is no first or second class travel between here and the celestial city. It may be that some people cannot understand how believers gain no advantage over the rest of the world. Yet this sort of thinking must be dispelled if we are to see true equality in life. We may win prizes for the work we have achieved but the love we receive is never more that that shown to anyone else.

To all those on the outside of church life I say, "God loves you as if there was only one of you to love!" You may not have found him but God knows you as well as he knows anyone. He w2aits for you to respond and "come home." Through his agents like me He speaks to you and invites you to get to know Him on a personal level. You have the choice to come forward or remain where you are. If you stay then nothing will happen but if you commit yourself a new life of great joy is about to happen.

When you have grown tired of all that is supposed to give happiness and realise that nothing endures ultimately you can still opt for God. Now, where else can you get this sort of guarantee?

Off the top of my head

Two weeks ago I waited for days until a blog was posted which looked at the post resurrection experience of Jesus' disciples. You see, I was preaching the following Sunday at my home church in Amlwch, Anglesey, Wales. I wanted to keep to the lectionary for the week and so waited till my colleague posted his blog about the particular Bible passage. It was St Luke 24:36-53. I had already preached the St John version of this story and was not very optomistic about being able to preach effectively on virtuially the same subject.

However, when the blog came it was late but brilliant. I was able to use some of the material and add something of myself to it to create what I thought a reasonable sermon for church. I was very pleased with the result and on the Sunday set off down the road to lead worship. I had chosen the hymns, transmitted the hymns for the readers and printed out my talk to the children. Half way there I suddenly realised that the sermon I had spent hours to produce had not been printed. I therefore decided to preach the sermon I had in my memory to serve such purposes. It was based on the early verses of Hebrews Chapter 11: "And what is faith? Faith makes us certain of realities we do not see. All I needed was the Bible open at that passage and I could preach an emergency sermon.

During the service I listened to the readers and felt God was challenging me to preach on the original passage. When it came to the "sermon slot" I went for it. The words were quite different but I stuck to the text and the sermon wads a great success. Thanks be to God.

I spoke about a possibly very busy day for Jesus. He rose from the dead, appeared to the women in the garden, walked the few miles to Emmaus, sat down to a meal, broke bread and showed himself. Then he appeared before the ten disciples who were gathered behind locked doors. It was a punishing schedule which still required a walk out and the ascension.

But the point I wanted to make was that whether or not we think of the resurrection and ascension as separate occasions or on the same day the fact is that Jesus was bodily riased from the dead. The main thing about Easter is that it was real and factual. Jesus entered despite locked doors. He showed them the evidence of resurrection - the wounds of crucifixion. He ate soem food. He was risen in body as while as in mind and spirit. All four gospel writers attest to this.

It was to show that nothing, not even death, could stop the Good News of God's ultimate intervention in human life. There are many different points of view in Christianity but all have to accept the reality of resurrection. You can believe in Christianity in a multitude of ways but ultimately you have to accept the resurrection. It is the stunner, the news that Jesus is now with us permanently. He has come into our world now in a way that no one can dispute. He is risen.

Our Greek friends, at Easter, gather at church in readiness for Easter Day. At the stroke of midnight their priest declares before them, "Christos anesti!" "Christ is risen!" Then from a single candle all present light their own candle to take home. To each other they say, as they light cnadle after candle, "Receive the Light!" This is the light of the resurrection of Jesus. In that light all of us can see the truth of his resurrection from the dead.

Only because Jesus is risen can we face anything, even death, and be fearless as we stand with him before others. You can go on about every single point of the Christian religion and how it impacts on the individual. But the fact is: "Christ is risen!"

Thanks be to God.