The young couple had inherited a family tradition. On Memorial Day they went to the cemetery to care for the family plot. This year their three year old daughter was old enough to ask questions:

"What's a cemetery?" she asked. They struggled to explain, and finally just said honestly, "It's a place where people we love are buried."

Looking at the hoe they were putting in the back of the car, the child asked, "Are we going to dig them up?"

She didn't know what was going on.

I find a lot of people who are children in faith. They don't know what's going on.

Look at the folks who were in church on Easter, but who won't he back again for a long time. (It's a long time till Christmas.)

Don't expect me to be critical of people who are in church only on Christmas and Easter. I delight in their presence. There are people that I love very much who try to live their faith this way.

But I do want them to know that they do not yet understand what this faith business is all about.

If we think that we can experience the power of God's presence in our lives without making a commitment, we are wrong. If we expect to enjoy the daily blessing of the risen Lord without our hearts being open to him - it will not happen.

Faith - real faith - real trust in the Lord - does not come naturally to us. Fear comes naturally. Guilt and despair come naturally.

Frustration and anger are built into our nature.

But discipleship is a decision, and faith must be continually nurtured. And God will not push love upon us. God will leave us to our own "devices and desires" until we are ready to accept the grace and power God has to offer us.

The Lord is risen indeed!

But the Lord is also waiting for us to decide our discipleship, and claim that resurrection for our own.

Were you in church on Easter?

If so - good!

Will you be back this Sunday and the Sunday after that? If not, you need to know - you are doing life the hard way.

You may say "the Lord is risen," but you are living as though someone had to dig him up.

If you do in fact believe - the time has come to live that faith.