Yesterday, December 8th, 2010, was the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's death at the hands of an assassin. Last October 9, 2010, would have been his 70th birthday. I was a fan of the Beatles when they arrived on the pop scene back in the early 60s, but not so much with their later music. As their music evolved it was just not my style although it is easy to see why so many of their fans loved it. John Lennon was perhaps the most interesting Beatle and his popularity continues, possibly due to the nature of his death coupled with the mystique of his life. One feature of his life that continues to provoke discussion and speculation is his struggle with faith and spirituality. Much has been written about it. It seems to me that Lennon's real quest was for truth. He seems to never have come to a resolution regarding this vital issue. Unfortunate. I'm personally so thankful for the Christian resources which are available today to help us discover truth and the confidence and hope for the future which that truth promises in Jesus. Resources which I'm currently using to strengthen my grasp on truth are: The Truth Project,a video series featuring Dr. Del Tackett of the Focus on the Family Institute; Foundations of Apologetics (video course produced by the College of Christian Apologetics at Oxford University), and The Reason for God by Timothy Keller.

It would be interesting to know if John Lennon would have ended his life on a sounder footing had he had these materials available to him. Chapter 18 in the Gospel of John records Jesus' trial before Pontius Pilate. Responding to a question from Pilate, Jesus answered: “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Pilate retorted: “What is truth?” There is no indication that Pilate made any effort to discover the answer to his question. Apparently John Lennon cared about the truth but for whatever reason was never satisfied with the answers he received. As Christmas approaches it is wonderful to know that the truth is available and that God, in His grace and mercy, "...wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. And for this purpose I (Paul) was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher...." (1 Timothy 2:4-7) What a wonderful gift.