Devastating Nepal Earthquake Impacts 8 Million People

© 2014 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

Nepal was hit by its deadliest natural disaster in more than 80 years when an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter Scale shook the Himalayan republic just before noon local time on Saturday, April 25. The epicenter was located about 50 miles northwest of the capital city of Kathmandu. United Nations official Jamie McGoldrick said that 8 million people, or one in four residents of Nepal, are impacted, with 1 million children in urgent need.
By Tuesday, more than 5,000 were confirmed dead and over 9,000 injured, with casualties expected to rise. Prime Minister Sushil Koirala announced three days of national mourning, warning that the death toll could reach 10,000. He said the nation is "on a war footing" with 90 percent of Nepal's troops conducting rescue and relief work.
Rugged terrain and poor weather in the impoverished Asian country are hindering damage assessment and relief efforts, especially in remote villages located more than a day's hike from the nearest road. To make matters worse, many routes between isolated villages are now impassable due to multiple landslides caused by the earthquake. Delivery of emergency supplies is also hindered by the limited capacity of Kathmandu's international airport, which has only one runway and limited parking space for planes.
In some villages, 70-100 percent of the buildings collapsed. Many traumatized residents refuse to enter whatever unstable structures remain, fearful that powerful aftershocks might topple them and claim even more lives. High-quality tents and tarpaulins to shelter survivors sleeping outdoors are desperately needed as the monsoon season begins in a month's time. Many communities lack adequate food, safe drinking water, electricity, communication, access to medical facilities, supplies and treatment.
Many of the ruined buildings were old and of poor quality and construction, though the earthquake also destroyed a new house built by a couple who took out a 200,000 rupee ($2,000) loan for the project. But the pain of the material and financial loss pales in comparison to their grief over the loss of their daughter, Muna Puri, 4, whose body lies buried somewhere beneath the debris. "Now I don't have a house. I don't have a daughter," her father mourned. "This is what the world has become."
The pastor of one TWW team member has a family friend, a woman who is a convert from Hinduism, who has served as a church planter in Nepal. She reported to him that one of the congregations was in worship when the earthquake hit, and the church building collapsed, killing about 100 people.
Others also lost property, yet escaped with their lives. The house of farmer Nar Bahadur Nepali, 37, collapsed, as did most of the other structures in his village, but he and 60 or 70 other residents who were attending a wedding in an open area survived.
At least 18 mountain climbers died and at least 60 were injured when an avalanche triggered by the earthquake thundered into camp at the base of Mount Everest. Nine more climbers might well have been among the dead, were it not for the sherpa guide who absconded with their money, forcing them to abort their planned ascent and return to their native Greece the day before the avalanche. One of the Greeks, Nerit Sophoclis Paitis, said, "In the end we were lucky, but we have friends at the [Everest] camps who are living through very difficult moments."
Dominic Bowen, the global emergency and security advisor for Medical Teams International (MTI), reported from Kathmandu Monday: "People are at the end of their tether. You can only imagine what it's like for the locals who can't get on a plane and leave."
Among the climbers who died at the base camp was Google executive Dan Fredinburg, who was attempting the summit to raise money for two Nepali orphanages. His ex-girlfriend, actress Sophia Bush, posted this message on Instagram: "I was so looking forward to our planned download of 'all the things' when he got home. I am crushed that I will never hear that story. I am crushed knowing that there are over 1,000 people in Nepal suffering this exact feeling, knowing that they too will never hear another tale about an adventure lived from someone that they love. Disasters like this are often unquantifiable, the enormity is too much to understand. Please remember that each person who is now gone was someone's Dan. Please remember that our time on this Earth is not guaranteed. Please tell those you love that you do. Right now. This very minute."
More on this story can be found at these links:
Nepal Earthquake: Death Toll Passes 4,800 as Rescuers Face Challenges. CNN
Nepal Villages Cut Off by Earthquake Wait for Aid as Death Toll Passes 4,000. New York TImes
Nepal Earthquake: Death Toll Could Reach 10,000, Says PM. The Guardian 
Robbery Saved 9 Greek Climbers From Nepal Quake. Yahoo! News 
The Big Questions
1. Is it a matter of luck, or divine providence, or something else that determines whether someone survives a disaster like this? Defend your answer. Can reasons vary, and if so, how can they be discerned?
2. The climbers who left Nepal the day before the earthquake probably considered the fact that they were robbed a bad thing, but ironically, even that negative event, or sin against them, seems to have turned out for their good. Describe a time when something bad happened to you that ultimately turned out for your greater good. How did that experience change your perspective about adversity?
3. What prompts people to respond with empathy or compassion to others who are suffering greatly? What is the origin of altruistic impulses?
4. How should Christians respond to major disasters like this? What can we do beyond praying and giving money?
5. What do you think Nepal's Prime Minister, Sushil Koirala, meant when he said the nation is "on a war footing" in the aftermath of the earthquake? How might this expression serve as a metaphor for the work of the church?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Isaiah 64:3
When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. (For context, read 64:1-3.)
Jeremiah 10:10
But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation. (For context, read 10:1-16.)
1 Kings 19:11-12
He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. (For context, read 19:1-18.)
The quaking of the earth in the Bible is often presented in the context of God's judgment and wrath, particularly over the sin of exalting worthless idols above God our Creator; the mountains "quake" at God's presence. Yet, when the prophet Elijah fled from Jezebel in fear for his life, God appeared to him not in the earthquake, but in great silence.
Questions: Is God communicating to the human race through natural phenomena? If so, what is God trying to tell us? When is an earthquake more than an earthquake, and when is it just that and nothing more?
Psalm 8:3-4
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? (For context, read 8:1-9.)
Although humankind through the application of sheer intelligence and will has achieved so much, become so powerful, harnessed so much energy and unlocked many secrets of the universe, still, humans are absolutely puny -- mere dust mites -- compared to the power of nature and the God who created it all. Events like the earthquake in Nepal remind us of our mortality.
Question: Why is it good for us to be reminded of our mortality?
Genesis 2:15-17
The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die." (For context, read 2:4-17.)
One point of the Genesis creation accounts is that we live in a secure, though not a safe, universe. In some ancient creation stories, chaos is more powerful than the gods. Fate or chance (personified in the stars) trumps the will of the gods. The biblical creation story shows that God is in charge of creation; God put the stars there, and God made sense out of chaos.
We're not going to have winter death triumph, forever negating spring (as in the case of the northern mythologies). We're not going to see the stars reach that tipping point and suddenly stop moving in their courses, bringing an end to history (as in Mayan mythology). No human sacrifice is needed to keep the machinery running. But though creation is secure, it is not safe. People can die, and the Nepal earthquake reminds us that something bigger than us is going on here.
Questions: What kind of choice does God place before Adam that has life-or-death consequences? What kind of death resulted from his disobedience of God's command?
Job 42:1-3, 5-6
Then Job answered the LORD: "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ... I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. ... I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes." (For context, read 42:1-6.)
Like the big picture that God gives to Job toward the end of the book, we see that creation exists for itself, not necessarily for us. Some scholars believe Job's response is mistranslated: He does not repent in dust and ashes. He's already in dust and ashes. Job repents from dust and ashes -- more literally, on or upon dust and ashes. The actual phrase in Hebrew, "on dust," is also used to mean "in the grave," such as in Job 21:26.
When we see that the universe is larger than we can imagine, that there are tremendous forces at play, such as continental drift with the collision of plates -- when we realize that a meteor could hit where the Yucatan Peninsula is today, possibly the cause of the extinction of dinosaurs -- then we can afford, like Job, to embrace life, to live authentically and to quit expecting the universe to revolve around us.
Questions: When was the last time you questioned God's wisdom? What does Job acknowledge about God and admit about himself in these verses, leading him to repent? When you ponder questions bigger than you, how can following Job's example result in a restoration of peace in your soul?
Matthew 24:6-8, 13-14
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs. ... But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come. (For context, read 24:1-14.)
When Jesus' disciples asked what would be the signs of his coming and of the end of the age, he replied that many false messiahs and false prophets would lead many astray, and that there would be wars, rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, persecution, a rise in lawlessness and lovelessness and the proclamation of the good news throughout the world. Yet Jesus' followers were not to become alarmed, since all those things "must take place," before the end comes. As painful as these birth pangs are, they signify that God is bringing forth a new life.
In the next chapter, Jesus describes 10 virgins who await the arrival of the bridegroom. Five had prepared for his coming by making sure they had adequate oil for their oil lamps; five didn't bother about that. Those who were ready were welcomed to the wedding feast while the others, who had run to buy more oil and arrived late, were not admitted (Matthew 25:1-13).
Life surprises us, sometimes in tragic ways. The narrative for the life of thousands of people suddenly changed within seconds as a result of the Nepal earthquake. We never know when Jesus might return or if our life could be taken in an instant through a natural disaster, a car accident, an illness or some other cause. We need to be ready for the end of our days and/or Christ's return.
Questions: Why do you think Jesus said that so many disasters, whether man-made or as part of the natural order, "must take place" before the Lord returns? What is the function or effect of these events? How can believers guard against panic and "alarmism"? What is the nature of the new life God is birthing? How can we "keep our lamps trimmed and burning" (in the words of the old spiritual) so we will be prepared to greet the Bridegroom when he comes?
For Further Discussion
1. One of the ministries on the ground in Nepal, Medical Teams International (MTI), describes its work and motivation this way: "We see human suffering as a call -- not just to open our hearts, but to move our feet. We are compelled by our Christian faith into action -- a team, guided by compassion and magnified by expertise. We are committed to rise, mobilize, and make a difference." How does this description compare with your understanding of the work of the church?
2. Reflect on the statement made by Dan Fredinburg's ex-girlfriend, Sophia Bush: "I am crushed knowing that there are over 1,000 people in Nepal suffering this exact feeling, knowing that they too will never hear another tale about an adventure lived from someone that they love. Disasters like this are often unquantifiable, the enormity is too much to understand. Please remember that each person who is now gone was someone's Dan. Please remember that our time on this Earth is not guaranteed. Please tell those you love that you do. Right now. This very minute." What wisdom did she glean from her grief and loss? What can you take away from her experience that might help you "not to waste your sorrows" (as the book title by Paul E. Billheimer has it) when you face loss in your own life?
Responding to the News
Find out what your denomination is doing to respond to the crisis in Nepal, and consider what you can do as an individual and as a local fellowship to be part of the response.
Closing Prayer

God of grace and God of glory, fill us with your spirit of love and power and self-discipline, that we might have courage in the day of trouble, hope in the night of despair, endurance in the time of testing, and joy when our Lord returns again! Amen.

Bad News Haunts Week's Headlines

© 2014 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

As with most weeks, news media this week have offered up a mix of stories, ranging from the weird and trivial to the serious and staggering. Here at The Wired Word, however, we were struck by the number of overwhelmingly bad-news stories clustered within a short time frame.
While not going into great detail, here are three news stories that jumped out at us:
1. Reuters reported that a video, purportedly made by the Islamic State, was posted on social media sites last Sunday showing masked militants shooting and beheading about 30 Ethiopian Christians in Libya. A subtitle in the video describes the victims as "worshippers of the cross belonging to the hostile Ethiopian church."
2. Reuters also reported that last Sunday, a boatload of people fleeing violence in Libya drowned when the vessel capsized in the Mediterranean. At last report, 28 survivors and 24 bodies have been found -- but the survivors have estimated the number of people on board as between 700 and 950. The boat was operated by migrant traffickers who charge big money to help people cross the sea, often jammed on vessels that are not seaworthy. In this case, the traffickers reportedly locked many of the refugees in the boat's hold, which may be the reason so few survivors and bodies have been found. If most on board drowned, as is likely, the death toll so far this year among African immigrants trying to cross the Mediterranean to escape the problems in their homeland will be about 1,500 people.
The European Union is discussing how to address the flood of migrants and prevent the deaths, but nobody thinks the wave of people looking for safety and a better life in Europe is going to subside anytime soon.
One commentator has called trafficking "the slavery of the 21st century."
3. The Daily Mail reported last Sunday that when a rubber dinghy carrying around 100 African refugees across the Mediterranean began to sink, a Nigerian Christian boy prayed to God for his life. One of the Muslims on board ordered him to stop, saying, "Here, we only pray to Allah." When the boy continued to pray, a fight broke out and a number of the Muslim refugees threw the boy and 11 other Christians overboard to their deaths. When an Italian coast guard vessel rescued the remaining people on board the dinghy, they arrested 15 Muslims reportedly involved in the murderous incident.
While none of these stories present events that are particularly uncommon these days, they are currently making the common news, and those involving murders have even prompted National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette Meehan to condemn the killings and note their religious nature.
More on these stories can be found at these links:
Islamic State Shoots and Beheads 30 Ethiopian Christians in Libya. Reuters
Hundreds Drown off Libya, EU Leaders Forced to Reconsider Migrant Crisis. Reuters
Muslim Migrants Threw 12 Christians Overboard to Their Deaths Because They Were Not Praying to Allah ... Daily Mail
The Big Questions
1. What can American Christians do about the ongoing slaughter and purge of Christians in some parts of the Middle East and Africa? Do you consider this a Christian problem or a human problem, or both? Why? How would you differentiate between a Christian problem and a human problem?
2. Do we have any responsibility toward situations that appear too big for individuals to effect any change? What causes people such as the migrants in these news pieces to take such great risks to seek a better, or at least a different, life? What obligation do we have to help those who set about on a course of action that puts them in danger?
3. What does "love your neighbor as you love yourself" mean in cases like those in the news this week, where we don't personally know any of the people involved and live far away from them?. Do these news stories stretch the limits of a reasonable definition of neighbor? Does the term "compassion fatigue" apply here, and if so, should we try to combat it? Why?
4. While not equating the deaths in the news with the suffering of Jesus, Christianity maintains that suffering can lead to a greater trust in God and may have a purpose or lead to a greater benefit. In this respect, people who are suffering can find hope. But what about those who don't survive the hard times? In what ways, if any, do you think God is present in the midst of the sort of suffering we encounter in these stories?
5. What sort of explanation do you give others when you are asked why God allows things like the events in these news story to happen?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Lamentations 1:1-2; 2:11
How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations! ... She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has no one to comfort her ... My eyes are spent with weeping; my stomach churns; my bile is poured out on the ground because of the destruction of my people ... (For context, read 1:1-22; 2:11.)
The book of Lamentations is essentially a funeral dirge for the city of Jerusalem and the Judahites who had lived there. The laments contained in the book are usually attributed to Jeremiah, who's been called "the weeping prophet" because he had to speak such bad news to his people and was, in fact, a witness to the destruction of the city by the Babylonians.
Jeremiah did not lose his faith in God, and in the midst of mourning, he speaks some powerful words of faith (see 3:20-33). But he certainly knew a great depth of grief. Clearly his pain is for more than his own loss. He feels it intensely for his people and their loss.
While Lamentations is not part of the book of Psalms, its laments resemble psalms of lament. Old Testament scholar Robert W. Neff says that the difference between a complaint psalm and a lament psalm is that one can reasonably expect a complaint to lead to remedial action but that there is no remedy for things lamented. A lament psalm expects no action from God.
Questions: What do you feel about the Christians who have been slain this week for their faith? For the mass of people who died by drowning? What should we do with such feelings? What should such feelings impel us to do?
Regarding news stories like this week's, is a lament the only response? How can you express lament in such a way that those who have lost loved ones know that someone shares their sorrow?
1 Peter 4:12-13
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. (For context, read 4:12-19.)
First Peter was a circulating letter sent to churches in what is today Turkey (1 Peter 1:1). Its purpose was to encourage people in living their Christian faith, especially in a time of sporadic hostility against Christians. The apostle Peter was well aware of that hostility, and it appears that some form of persecution was occurring at the time he composed this epistle. Thus, he spoke to his readers about the "fiery ordeal ... taking place among [them]."
We don't know the details, but whatever the nature of these trials, they were happening to his readers because they were followers of Jesus. Peter didn't write to commiserate with them, but to encourage them to stay faithful no matter what.
Questions: In what ways might we who are not being persecuted for our faith convey these words of encouragement to those Christians whose very lives are under attack these days? What might we say to people whose loved ones died at sea in their flight from violence in their homeland?
Psalm 13:2
How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? (For context, read 13:1-6.)
Psalm 13 is a wail of lament. It starts by asking God, "How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?" (v. 1), and it goes on to speak of the pain in the psalmist's soul and the sorrow in his heart (see above). The psalm is only six verses long, but it concludes with an expression of trust in and even rejoicing because of God's steadfast love.
We aren't told that anything actually changes in terms of circumstances between the first and last verses, but the perspective of the psalmist changes: the focus is placed on God's goodness even in the midst of horrors and struggles -- God has not, in fact, "[forgotten us] forever."
Questions: Read the psalm, replacing each instance of "I" with "we" and "me" with "us." Whom are you including in the "we"? What strength, if any, do you draw from knowing that others share in your pain and that you are sharing in another's pain?
1 Thessalonians 5:17
... pray without ceasing ... (For context, read 5:11-22.)
We've stated verses 11-22 as the context for this instruction from the apostle Paul because he says this bit about prayer in the midst of a list of faithful activities he urges upon the Thessalonian Christians. But really, this verse stands by itself, for prayer is not the subject of the context verses. It's almost as if Paul is saying that no matter what happens, followers of Jesus should always be praying.
Indeed, if nothing else, we should be praying often for persecuted Christians in the world today and for those in pain because of great tragedies.
Oswald Chambers said, "We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties."
Questions: Should we be praying for those doing the persecuting to change? Should we be praying for them to be punished, to "be shattered" (1 Samuel 2:10)? Do you really include your enemies in your prayers?
Can you think of an instance when you drew strength from knowing that members of your family and/or church were praying for you "without ceasing"? Though we often speak of praying without ceasing, how easy do you find it to remember to pray for someone you pledged to support? Do you require a reminder? Is the resolve to pray without ceasing the same as actually doing so?
Romans 13:3-4
For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval; for it is God's servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer. (For context, read 13:1-7.)
We've said this in The Wired Word before, but for massive problems, we often have to rely on governments to address them because they are beyond the capacity of individuals to do much about. The verses above from Paul offer a rationale for that.
That said, in democracies, we do have a voice in government policies, and we ought to exercise that voice for the common good.
Question: In what ways can we influence policies of our country that impact major problems and terrorism around the world?
For Further Discussion
1. There's a statement usually attributed to Joseph Stalin: "One death is a tragedy; one million is a statistic." How can we avoid such a view ourselves?
2. The late Fred Rogers, host of the popular children's TV show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, once said, "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers -- so many caring people in this world." Discuss how this applies to today's lesson.
3. Respond to this, heard in a sermon: "So what can we say to all of this darkness? We can say that great affirmation all Christians share: that in Christ, the end is not the end. In Christ, what we call the end is the great beginning of eternity."
Responding to the News
Resolve to pray without ceasing.
Closing Prayer

O God, enable us to grasp the full message of your Word, that we may be better disciples of Jesus Christ. Please be with all who are hurt by oppression, persecution and the atrocious actions of others. Help us to perceive what you want us to do in response to such circumstances, and make us faithful in prayer. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Two Stories: Company Promising 'Eternal Life' Expires. Head Transplant Within Two Years?

© 2014 The Wired Word
www.thewiredword.com

This headline last week reeked of irony: "This Start-Up Promised 10,000 People Eternal Digital Life -- Then It Died." The article beneath it told of Intellitar, a web service launched five years ago that promised its users "virtual eternity." For $25 a month, people could place on Intellitar an animated avatar loaded with elements that mirrored the user's real life and would continue in cyberspace, available to interact with the person's friends and relatives, even after the individual who created the avatar died.
As explained by editor Kashmir Hill in the article published on Fusion, "Customers uploaded a photo of themselves to Intellitar's "Virtual Eternity" website, took a personality test, provided a voice sample and then trained their avatars' 'brains' -- an artificial-intelligence engine -- by feeding it stories, memories and photos." The result was supposed to be "a digital doppelgänger that would live on even after [the user's] death," which the user's offspring, descendants and others "could talk to, even after [the user] went to the big database in the sky," Hill said.
But alas, after 10,000 people signed up and birthed their online clones, the company ran into an intellectual property dispute over the technology they were using. The resulting legal battle was lengthy and expensive, and in the end, Intellitar decided the cost of pursuing the suit was prohibitive, and shuttered the company.
Hill explained, "You can't achieve immortality if you're dependent on a company that might go out of business. [Intellitar's CEO Don] Davidson says some customers were angry that Intellitar shut down, and that their immortality was no longer guaranteed. While they could download the data they'd uploaded to a text or Excel file, they couldn't export their avatars, because as part of the settlement, Intellitar agreed to no longer use the technology that powered them."
A start-up from MIT called Eterni.me is now developing a similar service, but is only in beta at this point.
A second recent news item seems tangentially related: Within the next two years, an Italian surgeon is planning to attempt the first transplant of a human head onto a donor body, and a 30-year-old Russian man suffering from a fatal muscle-wasting disease is slated to be the first person to undergo the procedure. In the case of the this particular patient, the surgery, if successful, is simply to give the man a chance at a longer lifetime than his diseased body will permit. But could the procedure, if perfected, eventually be used to give people a second lifetime? Right now, such remains in the realm of science fiction, but it does open a line of thought about, if not eternal life, at least much-extended life.
Commenting on the announcement of the surgery, Dr. Hunt Batjer, president-elect of the American Association for Neurological Surgeons, told CNN, "I would not wish this on anyone. I would not allow anyone to do it to me as there are a lot of things worse than death."
More on this story can be found at these links:
This Start-Up Promised 10,000 People Eternal Digital Life -- Then It Died. Fusion 
Terminally Ill Man Set to Be First to Undergo the World's First Full Head Transplant. News.com.au
The Big Questions
1. While eternal life offered in scripture refers to real life after this one, the "eternal" life Intellitar offered was in this world and artificial. What reasons do you suppose Intellitar's customers had for signing on? Would you be interested in signing on for such a service? Why or why not?
2. What do you make of Intellitar CEO Don Davidson's comment that some customers were angry that Intellitar shut down, and that their immortality was no longer guaranteed? Do you feel that your eternal life is guaranteed? Why or why not?
3. Do you fear death? If so, how do you deal with that fear? If not, why not?
4. Does the creation of artificial human avatars create a threat to the Christian concept of human identity as unique? Our digital footprint would extend beyond our life here, but is that really life, and should it be something we shoot for?
5. Does the hope of entering heaven serve as a motivation for living faithfully now? Would you serve Jesus even if there were no promise of eternal life? Why or why not?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Ephesians 1:11-14 (The Message)
     It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
     It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free -- signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life. (For context, read 1:3-14.)
We've quoted this passage from The Message because it's a bit easier in that version to grasp what Paul is saying. We've also added two paragraph indents, and note that both start with "It's in Christ that ...." Notice too that the first paragraph deals with finding out "what we are living for," and the second paragraph, finding ourselves "home free ... [as] the first installment [or down payment] on what's coming."
Questions: What are you living for? How does the first paragraph above help you explain that? What do you hear for yourself in the second paragraph? How much of your life of faith is centered in the present? How much is anchored in the future?
Daniel 12:2
Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (For context, read 12:1-4.)
It often comes as a surprise to people who don't regularly read the Bible to learn that in the Old Testament, there are very few references to the resurrection of the dead. In fact, in addition to Daniel 12:2, quoted above, the only other clear attestations to it in the OT are Isaiah 25:6-10a and Isaiah 26:19. There are a few other verses that can be interpreted as references to the resurrection of the dead, including Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6; Job 19:25-26; Psalm 73:24; Hosea 6:1-3. However, the three clear references are quite late in the timeline of the OT and thus suggest that the resurrection of the dead to an eternal life was not part of the early formulations of Israel's faith.
Before these later developments in thought about afterlife, the OT does speak about death, of course, which was a reality of existence. But those who died were said to be "gathered to his [or her] people" (Genesis 49:33) or to descend into "Sheol" (Psalm 139:8), which was thought of as a repository where the dead went; it was marked by neither reward nor punishment. A "good death" in the earlier OT era was one where the person had lived in submission to God's rule and his or her normal life span had not been cut short (for example, Genesis 25:7-11).
The OT includes many other mentions of "heaven" or "the heavens" (for example, Genesis 1:1; 7:19), but in those cases, the term refers to one of the three cosmological divisions of the universe: the heavens, the earth and the waters under the earth (Exodus 20:4). In that usage, heaven/the heavens (sometimes called the "firmament") usually meant the visible sky, as in Genesis 1:8, but also occasionally meant the dwelling place of God, as in Psalm 11:4.
Questions: Why do you think the concept of eternal life beyond death for faithful human beings probably developed so slowly among people who were called to serve God? Most experts in the Hebrew scriptures agree that our ancestors in the faith did not believe in an afterlife, yet served God because God is great and worthy of service and praise. How much of your faith is dependent on an afterlife? Are you willing to serve God regardless of the prospect of a reward? Is your life of faith, or your life in general, lived for now or for later?
Job 18:14
They are torn from the tent in which they trusted, and are brought to the king of terrors. (For context, read 18:5-14.)
2 Corinthians 5:1
For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (For context, read 4:16--5:10.)
Here are two verses -- one from each testament -- where the human body is described as a "tent." In the verse from Job, which is spoken by one of his friends, Bildad, what tears people "from the tent in which they trusted" is their demise. But Bildad is speaking especially about the wicked (v. 5), and for them, their passing brings them into the presence of the "king of terrors," Death itself.
In the verse from 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul speaks about departure from an "earthly tent" as well, but for those who have received Christ, the event takes them not to the king of terrors, but to a resurrected body and its eternal home.
By the way, what's being called a "head transplant" is actually a body transplant because the recipient's head is what remains the same, while it is (if it truly happens successful) attached to a donor body. Thus in such a procedure one "tent" would be replaced with another, but would still be a tent.
Questions: Why do you think Paul uses "tent" to describe our earthly body and "house ... eternal in the heavens" to describe our heavenly body? How might this verse relate, if at all, to head transplants?
Do you view heaven as a "fixed" existence, where nothing changes? Or does the idea of a new "building" suggest to you that there might be change in heaven, growth and movement?
What are the advantages to thinking of your life of faith as tenting? How are churches locked in place by thinking of themselves in terms of a building?
Hebrews 11:16
But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them. (For context, read 11:1-16.)
The "they" who "desire a better country ... a heavenly one" includes many Old Testament people, including Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah. Interestingly, these people all lived in the era before there was any developed understanding of heaven and eternal life. But here in the New Testament, the author of Hebrews includes these faithful people from that earlier era in the promise of eternal life and says they have a place in the heavenly city God has prepared for them. In other words, the mere fact that these people lived before the concept of eternal life had been established didn't exclude them from heaven. Rather, their faith in God includes them in eternity.
Questions: Is our faith directed toward the future or the present? Explain your answer. We often refer to someone who has died as having gone on to a better place. Do you think of heaven as "more of the same," like your present existence, but richer? How would heaven, in your opinion, be better than the present world? What would be changed?
For Further Discussion
1. Responding to the head transplant surgery news, Dr. Hunt Batjer, president-elect of the American Association for Neurological Surgeons, told CNN, "I would not wish this on anyone. I would not allow anyone to do it to me as there are a lot of things worse than death." What do Christians say is worse than death? Why?
2. Is aging a disease to be combated just like any other? Explain your answer.
3. Comment on this, from TWW team member Mack Crumpler: "I like the idea that by design we will not be on this earth forever -- and who would want to be? Our home is heaven, not here. A digital record or even a computer modeled after our character, knowledge, skills, love or whatever we think defines us as a human being will not be important to generations to come after our bones have dried. Our avatar would depend on the power of electricity [and the consistent payment of the $25 monthly fee] for its eternity. For the first few seconds of its reality it would be similar to you, but for the next billion years all the pages would be blank, nothing, period. Who wants that when you can have a life here on earth powered by faith, followed by an eternal life where the pages are not blank but full of joy and peace with the Father?"
4.Respond to this from TWW team member Liz Antonson: "My atheist friend, D., maintains that my (Christian) embracing the concept of bodily resurrection (made possible by Christ's death/resurrection) is no different than the ancient Egyptians' belief that prompted mummification and other preparations for the 'afterlife.' Both beliefs, according to D, are responses to anxiety ... the fear of no longer being and/or the fear of being reduced to decayed garbage/carrion.
     "Am I responding to the message of eternal life in Christ to assuage primeval subconscious fears, or is my spirit responsive to the Holy Spirit validating the promise of Christ when he said, '... anyone who is alive and believes in me will never die at all' (John 11:26, Phillips)?"
     How would you answer Antonson's question?
5. Pass out paper and pencils and invite your class members to imagine they are creating avatars online. Suggest that they write down the two or three most important aspects of themselves that the avatar should replicate. Have any who are willing share what they've written, and discuss the results.
6. Respond to Paul's words in Philippians 1:21-24: "For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you."
Responding to the News
Consider what you would want your digital footprint to reflect if some of it does remain after you. In addition, consider what you want done with your personal digital information upon your death: What should be deleted? What should be passed on to someone else for practical or sentimental reasons? The following article offers a good explanation, along with links to resources you might opt to use: How to Digitally Avoid Taking It to the Grave. New York Times.
Closing Prayer

O Lord, thank you that Christ has gone to prepare a place for us in your house. Help us so to live that when the time comes, eternal life is the next step for us. In Jesus' name. Amen.

More Churches Hosting Jewish Seders

 © 2014 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

Although Holy Week and Easter are past for this year, we are pausing before pushing forward to consider a growing trend in Christian churches: the hosting of Passover seder celebrations, sometimes with the assistance of Jewish neighbors.
The original Easter -- when Christ arose from the dead -- occurred during the Jewish Passover festival. Passover is an annual observance for Jews, just as Holy Week is for Christians. But with Easter not being on the same weekend every year, the two celebrations overlap only once every three or four years. This year, 2015, was one year when such convergence happened.
Passover commemorates the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, where they had been enslaved for several hundred years. The seder (pronounced SAY-der) is a ceremonial dinner during Passover that commemorates the meal the Israelites ate the night before their departure. The seder includes the reading of a special liturgy and the eating of symbolic foods.
One of the churches that hosted a seder this year was Baltimore's Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. They used the event to tie the Jewish holiday to the story of Christ's resurrection.
"We're not the only generation or the first generation to be followers of Christ," said the Rev. Richard T. Lawrence, the Roman Catholic priest who conducted that service. "We take our place in a tradition that goes all the way back to ... when God created man, to when he gave the commandments to Moses."
Many other Christian denominations also offer a seder meal during Holy Week. The modern custom began several decades ago with an outreach from Messianic Jews to Gentile Christians, helping to educate both Jews and Gentiles about the relationship between the Passover and Jesus' death and resurrection. There are several Christian Haggadahs (an order of service for the seder meal) that are widely used.
Evan Moffic, a Chicago-based rabbi who says he has "a passion for helping Christians learn about Judaism and the Old Testament in a way that makes their faith stronger and deeper," took note of the trend of Christian churches hosting seders and decided to write a book to help people understand the seder. When he went looking for a publisher, he found one in Abingdon Press -- a United Methodist publishing company.
Moffic says that was no surprise to him, since these days, more Christians than ever are open to the Jewish roots of their Christian faith. "Knowledge of Jewish texts and traditions can bring Christians closer to their faith," said Moffic. "It can deepen the experience of prayer, expand the meanings of biblical passages, and open our eyes wider to the role of God in our lives."
He admits that this openness to Jewish traditions among Christians does not mean all religions are the same. Moffic noted that the founder of the Methodist Church, John Wesley, is credited as the first person to use the phrase "agree to disagree." "As people of faith," said Moffic, "we will not always agree, but we can agree to disagree. And we can continue to learn from one another."
More on this story can be found at these links:
Believers Seek Common Ground as Passover, Easter Converge This Weekend. Baltimore Sun
How a Rabbi Found a Methodist Publisher. Ministry Matters
The Big Questions
1. What role has the Old Testament played in your coming to faith and/or your spiritual growth as a Christian?
2. Is it important that Jesus was a Jew? In what ways, if any, did his Jewishness help his gospel message to be understood? In what ways, if any, did his Jewishness hinder understanding of his gospel message?
3. How should Christians view the Jewish religion? How do the various definitions of "the Jewish religion" affect how you answer?
4. How much of your devotional reading comes from the Hebrew scriptures? Whether your congregation uses a lectionary or not, what percentage of sermons come from an Old Testament text? What is your favorite Old Testament verse or passage? Why?
5. How do you see the Old Testament and the New Testament to be related? Why?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Isaiah 42:6
I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations ... (For context, read 42:5-9.)
These words in the book of Isaiah are generally understood as saying that God chose Israel to be in righteous relationship with him, and then Israel would be "a light to the nations" -- the channel through which God's word could be conveyed to others and all might come to recognize the true God as their God. Thus, being chosen by God meant not privilege, but responsibility.
Questions: Is there a sense in which the Old Testament is a light to us today? Give examples. Given that most Jews do not accept Jesus as the Messiah, where do we as Christians intersect with their faith practices today? Do you (and/or your congregation) cherish the light shared by Jewish people? Is your faith life illuminated by it?
John 4:9
The Samaritan woman said to [Jesus], "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (For context, read 4:5-29.)
Matthew 15:24
He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (For context, read 15:21-28.)
We cite the verse from John simply to show one of several places where Jesus is clearly identified as a Jew.
In the Matthew passage, Jesus tells a Gentile woman who has come seeking healing for her daughter that he "was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" -- that is, to the Jews. It's not clear from the passage whether Jesus was saying that his mission had to start among the Jews or whether he was verbally sparring with the woman to test her faith. In either case, it's certain by the end of Matthew that Jesus' message was for "all nations" (Matthew 28:19).
Still, it does seem that Jesus understood that initially, he needed to bring his fellow Jews on board with the gospel and that they, in turn, would take it to the world. And indeed, that's what happened. Virtually all of the early Christians -- including the apostles -- were Jews, and at its start, Christianity was, in effect, a Jewish denomination.
In any case, in John 12:20-24, Jesus recognizes that his hour has come precisely because some "Greeks" (probably Greek-speaking Gentiles who are attracted to monotheism but who do not join the Jews because they view circumcision as mutilation) wish to speak to him. It's not clear that Jesus speaks with them, but somehow, their presence means the crucifixion is upon him.
Question: Why do you think Christianity did not remain within Judaism?
Matthew 5:17-18
Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. (For context, read 5:17-20.)
The "law" and "the prophets" referred to the Jewish scriptures -- essentially what we call the Old Testament. Jesus makes this statement in the Sermon on the Mount, and he clearly means that he has not come to undo any of that scripture. In effect, he's saying that scripture has lasting authority, and even its smallest elements will not disappear until God's kingdom "is accomplished." Thus, those scriptures apply to Christians today.
In several sections of the Sermon on the Mount that follow, however, Jesus interprets how the scriptures should be lived out, using as examples the laws regarding murder (5:21-26), adultery (5:27-30), divorce (5:31-32), oaths (5:33-37), retaliation (5:38-42) and enemies (5:43-48).
We should also note that Jesus' preaching echoed themes first stated in the Hebrew Bible. When, for example, he told his followers, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37), he was quoting Deuteronomy 6:5. And when he added, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39), he was quoting Leviticus 19:18. Jesus brought fresh applications and energy to those commands, to be sure, but his teaching was in continuity with what God had already revealed to the people of Israel through their scriptures.
Questions: Why do you think Jesus felt it necessary to explain his position on the scriptures? How did he fulfill the law and the prophets? How does your life of faith fulfill the law and the prophets?
Luke 24:44-46
Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you -- that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day ..." (For context, read 24:36-49.)
This is from Luke's account of Jesus' first post-resurrection appearance to the full group of his disciples. They, of course, are quite startled that Jesus, who died, is now alive among them. But Jesus uses the opportunity to show how "the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms" (that is the Hebrew Bible, our Old Testament) spoke about the Messiah suffering and rising.
Probably Jesus was referring to such verses as Isaiah 53:3 ("He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity"), Psalm 16:10 ("... you won't abandon my life to the grave," CEB) and Hosea 6:2 ("... on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him"). But if we can imagine not having the New Testament, would we recognize those Hebrew Bible verses as predicting the resurrection of Jesus? Probably not. It's not surprising that none of the disciples initially made that connection either, on that first Easter.
Later, however, it became a common practice in the early Christian community for believers to read the Old Testament with eyes opened by their experience of Jesus, discovering him on pages where they had not previously seen him. They continued to read, preach and quote the Hebrew Bible (often in the Greek Septuagint translation) and considered it the Word of God (remember, the New Testament didn't yet exist), but they quoted it most often to show that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah whom those scriptures prophesied. As the verses above show, Jesus himself started that practice.
J.B. Phillips, the British scholar who produced an especially effective translation of the New Testament, once said that while he was working on it, it sometimes seemed to him as if he were working with bare wires without the electricity turned off. Later, when he undertook to translate four of the Old Testament prophets, he nearly despaired of the task, finding every letter of the Hebrew alphabet to be "a tensed muscle." But he persevered, discovering that the Hebrew prophets touched "the very heart of the matter -- the way in which [people] behave towards each other and the way in which they worship God; and all of these prophets ... see that the two things are inseparable. They are thus ... clearing the ground for the revolutionary teaching that was to come with the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
That's pretty good reason to read and study the testament Jesus read (the Hebrew Bible), as well as to read and study the one he lived (the New Testament).
Questions: Why did the disciples have so much trouble believing what their eyes were seeing? Why do we often find new learnings when we reread passages we've read previously? Are you one of those who does more rereading than reading? What would be more surprising -- that you learned something new each time you encountered a scripture, or that you got it complete and right the first time?
Acts 8:30-35
So Philip ... heard [the Ethiopian eunuch] reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" ... Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:
"Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
so he does not open his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth."
The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. (For context, read 8:26-39.)
Here's an example of an early follower of Jesus, the deacon Philip, using a passage from the Hebrew Bible as an instrument of evangelism to bring the Ethiopian eunuch to receive Christ. The Ethiopian was reading from Isaiah 53, where it speaks of a suffering servant. We Christians quite naturally apply that passage to Jesus, but before Jesus came, people read those verses quite differently and likely applied them to the situation of Judah in exile.
If we could read the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament without prior knowledge of Jesus, we would not immediately expect a Messiah who would come humbly and die on a cross. It requires interpretation to see that kind of a Messiah predicted in the Hebrew Bible.
Philip, however, was ready, and provided that interpretation.
This text demonstrates how important it is for us to interpret scripture together, and not assume that with a bare reading we immediately understand everything. As one pastor says, "We're not born knowing this stuff."
Questions: If you were Philip and using Isaiah 53 to explain about Jesus to someone who had no knowledge of him, what would you emphasize from that passage? How was God himself active in the encounter between the Ethiopian and Philip? In what ways is God present when you read scripture?
Ephesians 2:11-14
So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called "the uncircumcision" by those who are called "the circumcision" -- a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands -- remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. (For context, read 2:11-22.)
Hebrews 1:1-2
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son ... (For context, read 1:1--2:4.)
In the Ephesians passage, Paul is addressing Gentile Christians, explaining how Christ has brought them into the covenant of God, which already includes the Jews. Note especially verse 14: "For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us."
The main thrust of the letter to the Hebrews is that Jesus Christ is the final mediator between God and mortals, fulfilling the mediation God had provided as testified in the Old Testament. Jesus is "the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (12:2, NIV).
Questions: How do you see Jesus as both the author (the originator) and perfecter (the one who completed and fulfilled) our faith? How does this tie Christianity with biblical Judaism?
For Further Discussion
1. Respond to this, from TWW team member Stan Purdum: "Prior to being confronted by Jesus, we may have valued the scriptures for their literary or moral significance. Once we commit ourselves to Jesus, however, the Bible becomes something far more important -- a place to rendezvous with the risen Lord.
     "The literary quality and the moral impact of the Bible are significant, but they are also secondary to the Bible's main purpose. The Bible is not for literary enjoyment or mere moral guidance, but for nourishment and sustenance for the journey of life and also as a signpost to point us to God. The poorly educated person who has to point to each word in the Bible with a finger in order to read it but who reads it faithfully nonetheless is actually using the Bible for its intended purpose more than the scholar who delves into it as a source of ancient history.
     "Part of the Easter experience is welcoming the risen Lord into our hearts. Another part of Easter is the ongoing discovery that the risen Lord speaks to us through the words of both testaments -- in ways we were unable to hear before we invited Jesus in."
2. Discuss this, from TWW team member Frank Ramirez: "The ancient historian Josephus tells that the brother of Jesus, Jacob (known as James), had been murdered the previous decade and says that the general population of Jerusalem lamented his death. This suggests that there was little distinction between Christians and Jews by the general population in those early days. What we call Christianity was a Jewish denomination, and there were many different brands in that era.
     "The Hebrew scriptures were the Christian scriptures exclusively into the second century, after which some books of the New Testament began to take on a stronger canonical status. Among the Oxyrhynchus papyri taken from the trash dumps of that Egyptian city, there were plenty of Greek versions of the Hebrew scriptures that seem to show signs of belonging to Christians (abbreviations for Lord and God exclusive to Christian use, bound as a codex instead of a papyrus roll, etc.).
     "Suetonius, the Roman historian, writes in the second century about an event in the first century -- that the Jews were expelled from Rome because of the riots instigated by Chrestus. There's a reference to this event in Acts when Priscilla and Aquila have been expelled from Rome and run into Paul. Roman authorities may have been color blind at that range, seeing Christians as a Jewish sect."
Responding to the News
While each testament can be read alone, many Christians maintain that it is only when taken together that their meaning is made whole. Thus, when we Christians describe ourselves as "people of the book," we mean the whole Bible, not just the New Testament. Nonetheless, there is value in respecting the Hebrew scriptures for their own merit and not only as something that points to Christ. And since we're all part of one family, it behooves us to read Jewish materials.
Recognizing the Jews as God's chosen people helps us to understand how all Christians "are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people," as Peter declares in his first letter (1 Peter 2:9).
Discover if any Jewish people live in your community, and learn about contemporary Judaism. While the Bible exposes us to Judaism as it existed centuries ago, it is helpful to remember that just as Christianity has developed over the last 2,000 years, so has Judaism. And as with Christianity, Judaism has never been homogenous or monolithic.
Finally, it's helpful to remember that while there is a connection, the history of the Jews as God's chosen people is not identical to the development of the modern state of Israel. The theology and the politics are not that well aligned.
Closing Prayer

Thank you, O Lord, for the power of your Word. Help us who read it, whether in one testament or two, to serve you faithfully. In Jesus' name. Amen.

British Stores Stop Stocking Christian-Themed Easter Eggs

 © 2014 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

An effort to communicate a Christian understanding of the meaning of Easter through the sale of a chocolate product called The Real Easter Egg in British supermarkets appears to have hit a snag after some grocers cited poor sales. Church officials and customers had lobbied major chains there for three years before five agreed to stock the £4 (about $6) product. Waitrose, Morrisons and the Co-op had come on board by 2012, with Sainsbury's and Tesco joining them in 2013. Another large chain, Asda, never sold the item, and this year Sainsbury's and the Co-op have stopped offering the religious-themed eggs.
The Meaningful Chocolate Company, producer of the eggs, includes a pamphlet with the resurrection story and activities for children in each Real Easter Egg box, which is marked with crosses. All profits from the sale of the product go to charity. David Marshall, who heads the company, said they want "to change the Easter egg market forever by making it more spiritual, more generous and more faithful."
Despite having sold a million Real Easter Eggs in the last five years, Marshall said they "wonder at times if there is an anti-Christian agenda from some of our supermarkets ... as if some feel Christianity is politically incorrect or the Easter story, which mentions Jesus, might put people off." He added that "one buyer asked us what Easter had got to do with the church."
Archbishop of York John Sentamu, alarmed to learn that a third of British children thought they were celebrating the Easter bunny's birthday on the spring holiday, urged the stores to reconsider their decision.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey described alternatives sold in various supermarkets, featuring popular icons such as Darth Vader and Postman Pat, as "rubbish." Such eggs "have nothing to do with Easter," said Carey, adding that they are just trying to "get more money out of people. They have no meaning. I think it shows ignorance on the part of these supermarkets. By not offering an alternative to secular Easter eggs they are really undermining the real message of Easter. It saddens me because we are living in a land that is completely losing contact with its religious roots and is out of touch with the Christian message."
After the darkness, cold and dormancy of winter, people across the centuries have universally longed for the newness of life that the season of spring represents. Many cultures have spring festivals that utilize some of the same symbols Christians use to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. For many, those symbols represent fertility, hope for the safe birth of babies and farm animals, and the wish for a good crop.
A particularly significant symbol of renewal and life common to many ancient cultures is the simple egg. For Christians, eggs have special meaning that is reflected in some of the traditions that have developed over the years. Here are a few examples:
During the 40 days of Lent, many Christians in various times and places would refrain from eating meat or dairy, including eggs. On Easter Sunday, Christians broke their vegetarian fast by consuming eggs again. The chance to eat such a delicacy was anticipated with eagerness and relished with delight that was meant to mirror the Christian's joy in the salvation God provided through Jesus, our risen Lord.
Children may play egg-rolling games, in which they re-enact the rolling away of the stone from the entrance of Jesus' grave; the hard shell of the egg represents the sealed tomb of Jesus, while cracking the egg open represents the bursting forth of Christ from the grave. Just as a chick might hatch from an egg which does not appear to be living, the risen Lord emerges alive from the place of death.
Chocolate or plastic eggs available today may be filled with surprises that reflect the biggest surprise of all: that out of death and darkness, God created light and life for all humanity! So theologically, the egg symbolizes the new life Christ obtained for those who trust in him.
Eggs are also dyed and decorated with various meaningful colors (e.g., red for the blood of Christ redeeming the world, represented by the egg), symbols (crosses, a dove for the Holy Spirit, a lamb for Christ the Lamb of God, etc.) and messages ("Christ is risen!").
More on this story can be found at these links:
Archbishops' Anger as Supermarkets Snub Easter Eggs Featuring Jesus in Favour of Darth Vader. Daily Mail
At Last, the 'Religious' Easter Egg: Major Supermarkets to Stock Christian Product with Jesus on the Packaging for the First Time. Daily Mail 
The Easter Egg, Its History and Origin. The Holiday Spot
Easter Eggs: History, Origin, Symbolism and Traditions. Huffington Post 
Easter Egg. Wikipedia
The Big Questions
1. Some church leaders seem to assume shopkeepers who did not want to sell The Real Easter Egg were "anti-Christian." What other reasons might a merchant have for not carrying products with explicit Christian messages? Must we assume that the removal of the eggs from stores was a religious decision or can it have simply been a matter of sales?
2. What place (if any) should Easter-specific foods have in the way Christians practice their faith?
3. Whose fault is it if children believe that Easter is the Easter bunny's birthday? Is it the job of the secular culture to safeguard the Easter story? Whose role is it to teach the Christian faith to children?
4. What do products like The Real Easter Egg really teach children? Do such products help people refocus on the real meaning of Easter? Do they contribute to the commercialization of the season? Might they cause some people to view the gospel message as "tacky" or as a fairy tale for kids? Explain your answer.
5. If the objective of The Real Easter Egg is to educate young people and their elders about the Christian origins of the day and to raise money for charity, is there a better way to accomplish those goals than to use what some might call pagan symbols such as bunnies, eggs, etc.?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
1 Corinthians 15:3-5, 17, 20
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ... If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. ... But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. (For context, read 15:1-8, 12-28.)
Many people in Paul's day did not believe in the resurrection. In their minds, once a person died, that was it. Paul says, if that's true, then Jesus also didn't come back from death, and in such a case, our faith is all a waste of time.
Questions: Why does Paul highlight these particular events "as of first importance" for Christians? If Christ had not risen, what would be the point of church? What problem would remain unresolved if Jesus had not risen from the dead?
John 11:23-27
Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world." (For context, read 11:1-44.)
Martha's emotions are raw, as she and her sister Mary have recently buried Lazarus, their beloved brother. Yet she makes one of the most astounding confessions of faith despite her sorrow.
Questions: Does believing that Jesus is the resurrection help Martha in her sorrow? If so, how? During your own times of sorrow has someone made a statement similar to what Jesus said? How did you receive it? Was it helpful at the time? How can holding onto the truth that Jesus is the resurrection and the life help us in our own times of grief?
Acts 1:21-22
So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us -- one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection. (For context, read 1:15-26.)
After Jesus has ascended to heaven, Peter addresses the need to fill the place among the Twelve apostles vacated by Judas, who had taken his own life after betraying Jesus. Here Peter describes qualifications for an apostle.
Questions: Why were these qualifications essential for the apostles who would be the first to build upon the foundation Christ had laid for the church? In what sense are all believers to become witnesses with the apostles to the resurrection of Jesus? How does that description fit you? Who passed on the good news about the resurrection to you? How did you receive it? To whom have you passed on this news? How did they receive it?
Acts 4:1-2, 33
While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came to them, much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead. ... With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. (For context, read 4:1-2, 32-37.)
Peter and John did more than pass along the ethical teachings of Jesus. They declared the word of eternal life that was revealed to them by God, which they had heard with their own ears, seen with their eyes and touched with their hands (1 John 1:1-3). Referring to the experience Peter, James and John had when Christ was transfigured before their eyes upon the mountain, Peter said they were "eyewitnesses of his majesty" (2 Peter 1:16-18). John tells us in his gospel that Jesus appeared to them multiple times after his resurrection (John 20:1--21:14).
Questions: Why did the proclamation that "in Jesus there is resurrection of the dead" annoy the priests, the captain of the temple and the Sadducees? Who would that message annoy in our time, and why? Why is the message of the resurrection of Christ more unacceptable to many people than the idea of Jesus as a great teacher or just one among many prophets?
Romans 1:1-4
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. (For context, read 1:1-7.)
Here Paul outlines the gospel of God concerning Jesus Christ, who is both human ("descended from David according to the flesh") and divine ("declared to be Son of God").
Questions: What does the resurrection of Jesus reveal to us about his identity? Why does the resurrection provide such powerful evidence regarding who he is? What difference does it make in the way you live your faith when you believe Jesus rose from the dead? How should we live in light of the resurrection?
A Quiz for Holy Week and Easter
1. Who was the first person to speak to Jesus after his resurrection?
2. Why is Thursday of Holy Week called "Maundy" Thursday?
3. Why is the Friday of Holy Week called "Good" Friday?
4. Where does the word "Easter" come from?
5. Which disciples ran to Jesus' tomb on Easter morning? Which one got there first? Which one went into the tomb first?
6. How many angels do each of the gospels say the women encountered at Jesus' tomb?
7. How many of the gospels say Mary Magdalene came to Jesus' tomb?
8. According to Mark, whom did the women tell about the empty tomb?
9. Why did the priests and elders give a large sum of money to the soldiers who had been on duty at Jesus' tomb?
10. Are the differences in the four gospel accounts about Easter significant? If so, why? If not, why not?
11. Theologically speaking, is Easter or Christmas more important?
12. In the early church, which event became an annual Christian celebration first: Christmas or Easter?
Answers:
1. Mary Magdalene (John 20:14-17)
2. "Maundy" is a reduction of the Latin mandatum, the first word of Jesus' command (or mandate) in the Latin version of John 13:34 -- "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another" -- which he told to the disciples at the Last Supper. At that meal, Jesus symbolized the command by washing the disciples' feet.

3. Although very bad things happened to Jesus on that Friday -- flogging and crucifixion -- the term "good" was first applied during the Old English period when it meant "holy." In some languages, the day is called Holy Friday. But it is also good in the sense that with his death, Jesus showed his great love for humankind and made our salvation possible.
4. It's not certain where the word "Easter" comes from. The word never appears in Scripture. In some places today, the day is called Pasch, which comes from the word "Passover," because Jesus was crucified during the Jewish Passover. Others call it Resurrection Sunday. Some scholars think that the church absorbed the word "Easter" from pagan roots, since the goddess of spring, Eostre, was celebrated around the same time as Passover. More recently, some scholars have suggested the word was derived from an old Latin phrase referring to the white robes traditionally worn by those being baptized on the Sunday that celebrates Jesus' resurrection.
5. According to John 20:1-9, Peter and an unnamed disciple ran to the tomb. The unnamed disciple outran Peter and got there first, but did not enter the tomb. Peter entered the tomb when he arrived.
6. Matthew says there was one angel (28:2). Mark says there was one "man" (16:5) whom he doesn't call an angel, but who, from the context seems to be an angel. Luke says there were two men (24:4). John tells of two angels, seen by Mary Magdalene after Peter and the unnamed disciple had left to tell the others the news (20:11-13).
7. All four.
8. According to Mark 16:8, the women told no one, "for they were afraid." Matthew, Luke and John say the women told the disciples, and Luke adds that they also told "all the rest" (24:9). Mark probably meant that the women initially told no one.
9. The money was to bribe the soldiers to say that Jesus' disciples stole his body (Matthew 28:11-15).
10. The differences are not significant. All four gospel writers agree that Jesus died on Friday, was entombed and rose on Sunday. The differences in details are typical of the kinds of discrepancies that creep into accounts that are retold from one person to another. (For more on this, see "Do the Resurrection Accounts in the Four Gospels Contradict Each Other?" Bible Gateway.)
11. Easter is more important theologically. Jesus' death on the cross and his resurrection on Easter opened a new way into relationship with God. Somehow, in those actions, Jesus atoned for human sin and gave us hope that God has something more for us beyond death. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:17, "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins."
12. Since stories of Jesus' birth appear in the gospels, the early Christians probably knew them, but aside from the gospels, the rest of the New Testament books -- all of which date from the time after Jesus' ascension -- say little about his birth (for two non-gospel references, see Galatians 4:4 and Philippians 2:7). There are many references in the New Testament books to his resurrection, however, and clearly, Jesus' resurrection was the driving force behind the explosive growth of Christianity in those early years. Easter as a once-a-year celebration appears to have been adopted about A.D. 135, but the church didn't began observing Christmas until A.D. 336.
Creative Ways to Share the Message of the Resurrection
Here are some links to activities for Easter that you can use in your home and community. You may want to brainstorm other creative ways to share the message of the Resurrection.
Easy Easter Garden DIY - Empty Tomb. GodVine 
Resurrection Rolls Recipe. GodVine 
DIY Resurrection Eggs & Easter Story Book Printables. Life Your Way
Making Resurrection Eggs to Tell the Easter Story. Faith Gateway
Ideas for Teaching Teens About Jesus' Resurrection. Live Strong 
Bring Christian History Alive Through Easter Egg Traditions. CrossWalk 
Closing Prayer
We rejoice, O God of our salvation, that by your great mercy, you have caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Fill us with the power of his resurrection, that our lives may bear witness to his living presence among us. Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen!

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