“He live, he lives, Christ Jesus lives today! He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way. He lives, he lives, salvation to impart! You ask me how I know he lives? He lives within my heart.” - United Methodist Hymnal, No. 310 (chorus)
It’s Easter! After the season of Lent, and all of its somberness, and after Holy Week as we traveled from Palm/Passion Sunday through Holy Saturday (with stops at Holy Thursday and Good Friday), we’ve arrived! For some, it is Easter that truly marks the beginning of spring no matter how early it may be. We might recall that Easter was the day when we dressed in all of our finery. For us little boys, it might have been the only Sunday we were forced to wear a tie (or bowtie).
For many children and youth, Easter marks the downward descent to the time of summer vacation. Yes, Easter has meaning for many people. For Christians around the world, this day marks the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. He is alive, indeed! Despite the terror and gloom of Good Friday, this day says that nothing “in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Rom. 8:39b).
That is what Easter is all about: God’s power to deny the powers of sin and death to hold sway over humani-ty. In Christ Jesus, God gave the definitive answer that salvation comes to all who believe, to all who trust in the name of Jesus, “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Fa-ther” (Phil.2:10-11).
Imagine what the women may have thought that first Easter morning. Coming to anoint a dead body, they instead experienced a great earthquake caused by an “angel of the Lord, descending from heaven” that rolled the stone away from the tomb. That must have been some sight! Instead of finding the body of Jesus, but were encountered by the angel who told them not to be afraid, and that he had been raised. Miracle of all miracles! And their lives, and the lives of all believers since, have not been the same.
Amidst all of the celebration today, take time to remember what this Easter really means. “For God so loved that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16). That’s what we celebrate at Easter, and at each and every day of our life. Praise God! Alleluia! Christ is risen indeed! See you, Easter people, as we continue this incredible journey!
Grace and peace,
Mike
April 16, 2017