We should celebrate milestones. Like my 1000^th blog post. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed. Nearly a year ago.

If I had been paying attention, I would have put out a celebratory 1000^th blog post. But I am not that attentive. Nor was I all that excited about having 1000 blog posts. I suppose I should have been. After all, it has taken me many years to get over 1000 blog posts. (By the way, I am not trying to see how many times I can write, “1000 blog posts.” It just seems that way.) In fact, I only know that I have over 1000 blog posts because my blog publishing tool counts. If not for that counting mechanism, I would have no idea how many blog posts I have. Ah well, so much for celebratory milestones.

I have said it before, but when I started this whole blogging thing, I was just interested in getting a body of work out onto the internet. The web. The interweb. Online. I just wanted an online presence. Okay, I wanted it to be a large internet presence. But when I say large presence, I really wanted a far reach. Which means that I wanted a lot of people reading my blog. Or at least that was part of why I started this blog. I wanted lots of people all over the world reading my blog.

Well, I have had people from various parts of the world read my blog. So you might say that I do have a far reach. But alas. After all these years, I still have just a few faithful readers (both real and imaginary). And I am still eternally grateful for them. After all, if not for them, I would be the only one who reads my writing.

When the whole explosion on the internet did not happen, I was content to put out content just so that I would have that content out there. I was content to have that growing body of work. Little did I know that this body of work would be so large (over 1000 blog posts). Yes, it has taken lots of time to get that large, but I guess that is what happens. You feed the monster and it grows. Not that blogging is a monster, but I suppose there are times when I think it might be. (But that is another story. That I just thought of, by the way.)

There is one other reason I started this blogging thing in the beginning. And no. It was not because everybody else was doing it. Even though everybody else was doing it when I started. No. The other reason I started to blog was to hone my craft. I wanted to get better at writing. Now, I cannot truly be the judge of my own writing, but I do think that I have gotten better. And if you disagree, I would love you to tell me so. I truly love it when people tell me ways to fix my stuff. Usually. (Again. A different story. One that will probably never be told. Or that I already told.)

I have enjoyed this whole blogging journey. I have enjoyed honing my craft (whether I have gotten any better at it or not). I have enjoyed having a few faithful readers (even though I wanted a whole bunch of faithful readers). And I am grateful that I have been able to sustain my writing momentum enough to create a large body of work (even if people might think it is so much digital garbage).

No. I did not celebrate my 1000^th blog post. No. There is no celebration for having a large body of work. No. People do not care that I have over 1000 blog posts out on the interweb. But I am glad that I have kept at it. I am glad that I have a few faithful readers. And I am glad that I am able to continue to blog. I hope that I can keep blogging for hundreds if not thousands more blog posts to come.

I have no idea what number blog post this is, but thank you for celebrating over 1000 blogs posts with me.

Would you rather go play hopscotch
Or jump rope out on the street?
Would you rather have a juicy steak
Or eat something really sweet?
Would you rather learn about something
Or just play games all your life?
Would you rather live a life of ease
Or have some stresses in your life?

We think choices amount to nothing
For we make choices every day
But each and every choice we make
Transports us upon our way.
Who is to say that your next choice
Might set the trajectory of your life
And that one decision could lead
To a life of misery and strife.

But some of life’s decisions
Do not amount to a hill of beans
They are just like in the movies
Where they have some silly scenes.
And you cannot really stress about
Every decision in your life
Even though each and every choice you make
Plots the pathway of your life.

So if you would rather go play hopscotch
Than jump rope out on the street
Just make sure to do it
When there are no cars that you might meet.
And as you make the big decisions
Keep your future in your mind
And try to make your choices
So that it is true peace that you will find.

[Would you rather….?
Finish this line, and create a poem that flows from it.
DailyPrompt prompt.]

I have listened to a few books on reconciling theology and science, and have come to the conclusion that there is something few if anybody has considered when thinking about the age of the universe. The speed of the expansion of the universe.

I am no cosmologist (a scientist who studies the origin and development of the universe, according to the internet). Nor am I a professional theologian (somebody who studies God professionally). But I like thinking about science and theology from a lay person’s perspective. Which means that I like to read and listen to books about science, theology, and a whole bunch of other topics relating to both.

Lately, I have been listening to a book that tries to defuse the notion that science and theology are at odds. People can be scientists and believe in God. More importantly, people can be scientists and believe in the God of the Hebrew and Christian Bible.

The interesting thing that has come up in the latest book I am listening to (The Comprehensive Guide to Science and Faith: Exploring the Ultimate Questions about Life and the Cosmos) is the age of the earth. I must say that I go back and forth between whether I believe God created the universe in 6 sequential days or over millions or billions of years. I have even thought that the notion that there was time between days of creation could be true as well. The jury is still out in my mind. But there is something that one of the essays in the book I am listening to seems to miss.

When discussing the age of the universe, the author makes clear that Christ followers can be in either the old earth or young earth camp without being heretics. In Christian-ese, the age of the earth is not a salvation issue. A point which I wholeheartedly agree with. He also gives several assumptions that must follow for both science and theology to make sense. One of those assumptions is that the light from the bodies of the universe starts at those bodies. Or something like that. I do not exactly recall what the statement was, but to me the author was merely saying that those bodies in the cosmos that emit light had to start emitting light when they came into being. Which means that the light had to have traveled the distance of the cosmos to reach the observers (on earth). Which make sense.

Another assumption that the author stated was that the speed of light has remained constant during the time of the universe’s existence. Which also makes sense.

The conclusion that the author makes is that the universe must then be billions of years old for light to have traveled billions of light years to reach our eyes from the stars’ current locations. Which makes sense as well. Mostly.

The interesting thing that I have not heard or read is that even if the speed of light has been the same from the beginning of the universe and even if the light emitted from the bodies of the cosmos that emit light started when they were created, the universe and the earth could still be younger than we think if the universe expanded faster than the speed of light when the universe was created.

Like I already said, I am no cosmologist. I do not know enough math to come up with equations to think about how it would all work, but might it be possible that the universe expanded at much greater than the speed of light when it was created? The Big Bang must have been like any explosion, right? Which means that there would have been a huge acceleration at the bang. And even as the bodies of the universe were being created and flung far and wide, they were emitting light and heat as they went. And even though the speed of light and other universal constants and laws were followed inside the envelope of the universe, is it not possible that the universe itself expanded much faster than the speed of light? And if that was so, would those light beams not be left behind as the universe expanded? I know. Light is not really a beam. It actually behaves like both a wave and a particle, depending (which is a completely different story). Still, I think of it as if actual beams were left behind in the wake of the expanding universe.

I figure that somebody has probably thought of this before, but I have never heard it discussed, so I thought I would throw it out there. I know. I am no scientist. I am not a great thinker. And I am certainly no theologian. But God made our universe rational and we can figure many things out with the brains He has given us. So I am sure there are people who could figure out the math of a universe that expands faster than the speed of light at its beginning. It will just not be me. Probably.

I love to read and listen to books on science and theology and apologetics and all sorts of other topics. They all help me to remember that science and theology are not at odds. Even if it seems so at times. (Like when we are discussing the age of the universe.) Indeed, all science should point us to God. After all, He invented all the rules that science seeks to find. And to me, that makes all the difference in the universe. Regardless of how fast the universe expanced at the Big Bang.

The second most important holiday is not celebrated by everybody. But it is still the second most important holiday.

Good Friday is a uniquely Christian holiday. And it is a somber, solemn holiday. No treats. No gifts. No fancy clothes. Sackcloth and ashes is more like it. But it is an important holiday because it is a gift of freedom for all who accept it.

So what exactly does Good Friday commemorate? I am glad you asked.

Good Friday commemorates the death of Jesus. That is right. It commemorates the death of the only person who ever lived a perfect life. He is the lamb of God sent to take away the sins of the world. Pretty heavy stuff right there. After all, how can one person be sacrificed for every wrong of every person who ever lived or ever will live? He cannot. Not unless He ie is God.

Now, I am not going to delve into the theology of the Trinity or anything like that here. That is a much deeper topic, but suffice it to say that God is one God, but also three unique persons. Like the old hymn says, “God in three persons, blessed Trinity.” Which is why God accepts the sacrifice of Jesus, because Jesus is God and therefore perfect and therefore worthy to be sacrificed for all the sins (wrongdoings) of everybody everywhere everywhen. (Yes, I think I made up a word. Maybe.)

Which is why Good Friday is the second most important holiday. Jesus died on the cross on Friday to pay the debt that we could never pay. His blood was shed as a sacrifice for each one of us. And because He was a lamb without blemish, God the Father accepted the sacrifice for all sin for all time and space. All we need to do is accept this free gift of forgiveness and follow Jesus. (Which is another story.)

Now, I am going to tell you something that I have never heard in a sermon but that is one of the most important things about Good Friday that I have ever thought about. (But I am surely not the first person to think about it.) Jesus is the only person who has ever lived who has been forsaken by God. God the Father and God the Holy Spirit left God the Son, Jesus, alone on the cross. And having been in perfect communion with each other for all eternity, the three hours must have been more anguish than anything we could ever know. More anguish than the pain of being on the cross and bearing all of our sins. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be completely abandoned by God. Even for a moment.

I would be remiss if I did not recall a story of a Good Friday service oh so long ago. I was sitting near the back of the church and the story of Good Friday was being told. The story of that day in history when they crucified my Lord. The thing is, we were supposed to say the words that the crowd said. We said, “Crucify Him!” I think we were supposed to yell, but I do not think I was able. I said the words and they cut me to the core. I realized that even though I was not there at the time, my sins, my wrongdoings, my impure thoughts, my stray words, my anger, my hatred, my unthoughtful deeds were the reason Jesus was sent to the cross.

And so the death of Jesus is commemorated each year on Good Friday. Not because we want to glorify death or suffering, but because we recognize how God sacrificed His Son so we could be reconciled to Him. It is a somber occasion.

Each year, people walk out of Good Friday services all over the world. And most of them are probably silent. They are silent thinking about how their own sins nailed their Lord and Savior to the cross. They are silent knowing that they were with the crowd yelling to crucify Jesus. They are silent, but they have hope in their hearts. They have hope because they know that Easter is coming.

Good Friday is certainly the second most important holiday in the world. It could even be argued that it is the most important, except that we leave the day solemn and somber. We leave downcast and hopeless. At least we would if we did not remember that good news is coming. Easter is on the way! Which makes Good Friday a horrible, terrible, wonderful day to remember.

I think my favorite holiday is Christmas. The decorations. The family gathering. And of course, the presents. And the best present is just the presence of family. But the greatest present of all is Jesus. The reason for the season. God come down to the earth in the flesh to dwell with us. Oh, what a great holiday!

But Christmas is just the beginning of the story. Okay. The middle of the story. (Which is another story.) And it cannot be the most important holiday. The most important holiday is Easter.

If you think about holidays that celebrate important people, you must think of what those people did. After all, without their lives meaning something, their birthdays or their holidays are meaningless. Think about it. We do not celebrate Abraham Lincoln just because he was president. We celebrate his life and how he issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Oh sure, he did other things, but historically speaking, the proclamation that the enslaved people shall be free was arguably his most important deed. Martin Luther King, Junior is likewise celebrated for his leadership of the Civil Rights Movement. Not just because he was born. And so it is with all those whose lives we commemorate. We celebrate their accomplishments in life.

Which brings me back to the most important holiday of all. Easter.

Now, I know that some people will say that Easter was a coopting of various pagan religions to promote Jesus. And other people will say that Easter is merely a way to sell candy and greeting cards. But the historical event that Easter commemorates is the most important event in all of human history.

Now, nobody except a crackpot here and there will deny that Jesus of Nazareth lived. Historians and academics know that the evidence is too great to deny that Jesus lived. It is not even argued that He died at the hand of the Romans. Or even that He was placed in an empty tomb. Sure, there are skeptics who argue against one or more of the details of these events, but the events themselves are well attested. They are historical bedrock.

Now, Easter celebrates the historical day of Jesus rising from the grave. The tomb is empty. Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed!

But the celebration is not a celebration of the beginning of a new religion. No. It is the celebration of the historical event. It is a celebration of the fact that nobody could bring evidence to the contrary. It is a celebration that the tomb is still empty. And always will be. Jesus is risen!

The simple truth is that the first century Jewish and Roman authorities could have stopped the rise of Christianity on that first day. On that first Easter. All they had to do was to produce the dead body of Jesus. They could have just gone to the tomb and showed the people that he was still in the grave. They could have unwrapped his dead body and showed everybody the marks in his arms, legs, and side. “Look! Jesus is still dead. He is not risen.” Had they been able to do that and say those words, game over. And today, we would only have those pagan religions. And nobody would be celebrating a new faith. Nobody would be promoting Jesus as Savior of the world. Nobody would be saying that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. In fact, we would not even know about Jesus, much less his Apostles and other disciples. They would all be a footnote in history if Jesus did not rise from the grave. Actually, they would not even be a footnote. And we would still be denoting the years by the years of the reigns of kings and queens.

That is why Easter is the most important holiday of all. It, like all holidays, celebrates a significant moment in history. In this case, the most important moment in all of history. Without Easter, we would not celebrate Christmas. Without Easter, we would not celebrate Good Friday or Lent. Even the debauchery of Fat Tuesday (not a holiday, mind you) would mean nothing without Easter, for it would just be like any other day.

I do love Christmas. It is probably my favorite holiday of the year. But Easter is the most important day of every year. For on Easter, we remember that Jesus rose from the grave. The historical Jesus lived, died at the hands of the Romans, and rose again on the third day. These historical events are well attested and have stood the test of time. And that is why Easter is the greatest holiday and most important holiday of all.

Happy Easter.
Jesus is risen!
He is risen, indeed!