Good News and Bad Christians

Yesterday was Easter, the day that we celebrate the miracle of new life and resurrection. This year I couldn't help but reflect on how the actions of Christians are such pitiful reflections of this ultimate spiritual truth we claim to believe.

I have a next door neighbor whose only contact with us since we have moved in has been to come by and invite us to a church function. Last week I spoke to him again. It was a situation in which neighborly cooperation would have been expected (a falling tree right on the property line endangering his home). Rather than offering any help he rather rudely insisted I could expect no help from him and that it was my responsibility to fix the problem. He didn't even offer the basic neighborly respect that one might expect of any self-interested person sharing a property line. I would think that someone who tried to evangelize the neighborhood for Christ, might be a bit more interested in acting Christ-like towards his neighbor.

Of course, in my own life I find myself espousing Christian values with my actions leaving much to be desired.

This is the truly amazing thing about the Grace of God: it isn't only for the good but for the bad—for those of us that least deserve it. I can stand in church on Easter and praise Him despite all the foolishness of His children. In the end Christ's grace is so powerful that He is redeeming the us in spite of ourselves.