An Advent Prose.

Why do you bother? Someone said to me the other night, meaning why do I bother trying to be who I am, and trying to bear witness to Christ through my love-hate relationship with the Anglican Church. I thought about it and was then reminded of Pauls first letter to the Corinthians, verses 12 to 20 in chapter 15, when he explains something of what he is about. I paraphrased this into the sort of direct language that I try and communicate in and I think that this explains, using the 'what if' syndrome so beloved of our confused world, what Paul was saying and what I said in answer to my friend.

IF there is no resurrection of the dead,
THEN Christ was not raised from the dead.
IF Christ was not raised from the dead,
THEN your witness and your faith are worthless.
IF Christ was not raised from the dead,
THEN we are a bunch of false witnesses.
IF Christ was not raised from the dead,
THEN your sins are not forgiven!

IF Christ was not raised from the dead,
THEN your friends who have died are lost and,

come to think of it, so are you.

It makes quite a neat Advent Prose, does it not, and reflects something of what we are looking forward to on the 25th, when the wasteplaces of this world should ring out with joy, if we are doing our job correctly.