A bully in a small town resented the man everyone looked up to as the wisest man in town. He decided to teach the wise man a lesson. He held a chicken behind his back and asked the wise man, "Is this chicken dead or alive?" Of course, if the wise man said, "Dead" the bully would show him a live chicken. If the wise man said, "Alive" the bully would strangle the chicken and show up the wise man by producing a dead chicken.

"Well," said the impatient bully, "Is the chicken dead or alive? Let's hear your answer."

At a much deeper level, that same question is asked of each of us on this first Sunday after Easter. "Is Christ alive or dead? Let's hear your answer." Last Sunday, Easter Day, with an enthusiastic crowd in church, we heard a sermon about Christ's resurrection. In prayers and songs…