Just the beginning

‘As we stood on the Burundi mountainside, looking at the wrecked Gemini, we felt totally dazed, our minds reeling… Why hadn’t we gained more height before we attempted to cross the mountains? We’d have then escaped the marauding winds.

‘The war had accustomed us to crashes, disasters and the unexpected. But this was different. This wrecked plane was not one of thousands of military aircraft. It was the only one we had. It’s broken remains symbolised our own shattered hopes… Had it all been for nothing?’ (Extract from Hope Has Wings, page 66.)

As I read this part of Stuart King’s account of MAF’s first aerial survey, it reminded me of this verse in John 12:24, ‘Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds’ (NIV).

In this passage, Jesus is predicting His imminent death. The metaphor of the seed is an incredibly powerful one. Jesus was explaining that it would seem like the end but, in reality, it would be the moment of new life — for Him, and for all who would come to believe in Him.

Death or a new beginning?

In our own lives there are often seasons when things seem to ‘die’. Maybe it’s the death of a dream, the end of a relationship, or the loss of hope in a particular area of our lives.

These moments, though painful, can lead to new beginnings. Easter reminds us that the death of the old doesn’t necessarily mean the end. Instead, it opens up the possibility for growth — for something better, and for something renewed. Through Jesus’ resurrection, we see that God often brings new life out of what can seem like devastation, death or loss.

When Jack Hemmings and Stuart King ‘wrecked’ the first MAF plane in the Burundi foothills, it seemed as if their dreams had been shattered. The two years of praying, preparing and dreaming appeared to have been dashed to pieces. 80 years later, with a fleet of more than 115 light aircraft, the seed that fell to the ground has produced many seeds!

Death or growth?

The effects of Jesus’ death and resurrection will reverberate around the world forever. I was excited to read that research carried out by a team at SPCK shows that the number of Bibles sold each year in the UK increased by 61% between 2019 and 2024!

The study shows this to be particularly true in the teens to thirties age range. This Easter, many young people may be picking up the Bible and reflecting on Jesus’ death and resurrection for the very first time. Many will be searching for meaning, purpose and value, with some possibly approaching the Scriptures with a deep sense of sadness and hopelessness.

Despite the material comforts and technological advantages of the West, anxiety, depression and mental health problems are at an all-time high, especially among the younger generation. People are desperate for a better way to live.

After Covid, some Christians feared that faith and churchgoing had hit a real low. People seemed to have filled their lives with so many other things, and it looked as if the Christian foundations of our nation had — like a seed that had ‘died’ — been irreparably eroded.

Now, however, it seems that God is definitely on the move, with many prominent thinkers rejecting atheism because it doesn’t provide any answers for humanity.

According to The Quiet Revival, a report by the Bible Society, young adults are turning to the Bible, with recent research telling us that people are more likely to say ‘yes’ to attending church, if asked, than ever before.

Christian author and broadcaster Justin Brierley writes, ‘As a Christian I believe things that are dead can come back to life. That’s the point of the story after all. As GK Chesterton wrote, “Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave.”’

Death and resurrection

Jesus’ death and resurrection gives our lives purpose and meaning, with the blood shed on the cross providing a way for us to connect with the loving God who created us.

The promise of new life after death is beautifully summed up in John 11:25 (ESV), ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.’

I am so excited to be part of God’s unfolding story at this exciting time, aren’t you?

Response

• Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a new revelation about the impact of the resurrection. One that you’ve never had before.
• Pray for those coming to the Scriptures or to church for the first time this Easter. May people’s eyes be opened to God’s love. Pray particularly for the younger generation that’s turning to the Bible to find hope. May they find it in bucketloads!
• Pray that the communities we serve around the world will obtain God’s Word for the first time in their own language. May they meet Jesus there. For more information about this evangelistic initiative, please visit MAF’s Bible Packs Campaign — www.maf-uk.org/bible-campaign