Believing is Living

Christ is Risen! They say seeing is believing, but I say believing is living. We are now enjoying the 5^th Day of Pascha. We still greet each other with ‘Christ is Risen’ and we still sing the hymn. Soon enough, unfortunately, we will grow lax in our celebration and life will return to normal.

I must be honest. I hate that expression, ‘back to normal’ especially when it is used in association to Pascha. Why should we ever go back to normal. Do you remember normal? Normal was painful. Normal was stressful. Normal was sinful. Why go back to normal?

At that time, there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nikodemos, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nikodemos said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The Spirit blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, and you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nikodemos said to him, “How can this be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen; but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

John 3.1-15

When Jesus promises Nikodemus eternal life, for “whoever believes” He was speaking about you and me. The promise in today’s Gospel story was three years before the Cross and Resurrection, but that didn’t stop Christ for preparing Nikodemus for Holy Week.

He prepared us too. For some, preparation began years ago with a ‘twinge’ in your heart. For others, preparation was more recent. Maybe you felt ‘someone was off’ in your life. In either example, He prepared you for Holy Week and now Pascha.

The only thing left is for you to believe in His Glorious Resurrection. Belief isn’t ‘just’ a state of mind. Belief is an action. Belief drives our decision making. That’s what I mean by believing is living. If Pascha doesn’t change the way you live, you might not believe as you think you do.

I’m not saying you doubt. Maybe you ‘want’ to believe, so you act as if you believe. You say the right things at the right time. You say, ‘Christ is Risen’ but you don’t really live as if He is Risen. Would you ever go ‘back to normal’ if you believed in His Resurrection?

In almost every Church in America, this coming Sunday attendance will be low. We excuse absence this coming Sunday especially saying people are burned out by Church after Holy Week. How can that be true if we believe? You get my point?

Here’s a start. Make a new commitment to attending Liturgy EVERY Sunday and as many Feasts as you are able. Believe in the Resurrection ‘enough’ to use “I’m in Church” as an excuse to miss events, rather than the events being the excuse for missing Church.

Before the ‘spiritual high’ of Pascha wears off, speak with your spiritual father about setting some new goals for your life. If believing is living, then start living as if you believe.