Resurrection Witnesses

Resurrection is a difficult concept for some people to accept. The events are too ridiculous to believe outright and, perhaps for some, mythological and hard to believe. This is quite understandable because some people simply cannot believe in what would be described as a miracle. For them there always has to be an explanation and if one cannot be found then belief is impossible. But for some people it is the Resurrection that makes all the difference and draws them to Jesus. It is his rising from death that seals their belief in him. It is this that starts a life-long commitment to service in his name.
Last week I found that a member of the congregation where I was preaching simply could not accept the idea of Jesus being "the walking dead". I can sympathise with this because I know that it is a "worked out" view on the part of the person to whom I spoke. I know that he has a great faith that he found by sharing regular worship in a loving fellowship. The manner in which he accepts Jesus as Lord is not for me or you to criticise.
Many of us have found a number of obstacles along the path to faith. During my teens and twenties I was challenged by people who declared some of the gospel stories simply untrue and unlikely. This gave me much discomfort because I could see their point. It challenged me for many years. Then I heard a minister speak on the subject "Doubts and Certainties". As I listened he admitted he had strong doubts about the credibility of a number of the Bible stories. Suddenly my discomfort disappeared. Here was someone else who was a Christian and harboured very similar doubts to mine.
But these doubts are dealt with by a Christian through the vehicle of faith. In the Book of Hebrews, Chapter 11 we hear "Faith gives substance to our hopes and convinces us of realities we do not see." Put it this way: If we had no doubts we should need no faith. You see, faith is what makes all the difference. It is the difference between a religious life led by way of adopting and following custom and one where a spiritual dimension is the driving force. All of us can see the part played by the spiritual dimension, even those considered to be heretics because they put forward theories which discount resurrection and miracles. This spiritual approach is common to all Christians.
So how can we all be described as "Resurrection Witnesses"? Through the aforementioned spiritual dimension we are bound together as Christians. We may not share that vision of a resurrected Jesus walking through closed doors, revealing himself in broken bread, challenging Thomas to touch the marks of crucifixion. But we share the common knowledge of the power of Jesus still at work in the world through us. This is expressed in the Holy Trinity - God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In short we have the certainty, through faith, that He is alive and in us and working through us. We may not be able to explain it but it is still real to us.