Easter - the biggest bailout!

(Newsletter April)

In these days of "credit crunch" another term that has come to the fore is "bailout". This normally refers to helping or even saving someone in a financial sense. Sometimes we might be called upon to consider doing such a thing for a family member or a friend, if we have the necessary resources. On a wider scale governments around the world have recently bailed out some businesses for the sake of their economies and the financial system.

The action of bailout could leave us with a sense of discomfort, because there is a cost. Additionally, we may have feelings that the bailout is undeserved, particularly if greed and carelessness appear to have led to the problem or we are unsure that those responsible are truly sorry. On the other hand there is a positive side wherever businesses and jobs can be saved.

Thankfully, as Easter approaches, we have some Good News of great joy. News of what could be seen as the biggest bailout ever. On this occasion we are the ones who need to be bailed out and the Good News is that we have received an offer, even though we do not deserve it.

The Easter "bailout" was foretold by God hundreds of years beforehand through the prophet Isaiah: "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Jesus the sinfulness of us all." (Isaiah chapter 53, verse 6, NIV, italics mine).

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world is a bailout because we cannot pay God the price for forgiveness of our own sins. No amount of good on our part can make up for our shortcomings and failings. Therefore, God Himself had to act in coming among us in the person of Jesus Christ and having lived a sin-free life, His sacrifice was sufficient to pay the price of our sins. This is a far-reaching bailout, since it is available to all people for all time and it is a fair one because it is only received by those who admit they have a problem and are willing to submit to Jesus Christ for the solution. In the words of an old hymn: "I owed a debt I could not pay; He paid a debt He did not owe."

During recession, there comes a time when people speak about the first green shoots of recovery. Following His death on Good Friday, Jesus rose again from the dead on Easter Day. Green shoots indeed, both for Jesus and for the hope that He now holds out to us.

I hope that you will want to celebrate God's "bailout " with us this Easter or perhaps if it doesn't yet make sense, you could still come and join us in the hope of understanding more clearly just what Christianity has to offer for such a time as this.

With my best wishes for a meaningful Easter.

Vince Short