4-4-2021

             Good Morning All, 

                Alleluia!!  Christ is risen!!  He is risen indeed!!  Alleluia!!

           Matthew 28:2; “And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.”

     Think of the big historical events that have occurred in your lifetime.  Many of you watched as the airplanes crashed into the Twin Towers.  Perhaps you remember watching the Gulf Wars, or Reagan being shot or the Challenger explosion.  Did you watch the Berlin Wall being knocked down?  Did you watch the Iranian revolution in the late 1970’s?  Do you remember watching the moon landing?  Do you remember watching John Kennedy’s assassination and funeral?  We have watched a great amount of history and yet, the single greatest event, the event that has impacted human history the greatest, was not witnessed by any human.  No one saw Jesus walk out of the tomb.

    If you follow the story in the Matthew text, the angel came down and the guards became “like dead men”.  These guards were so terrified, they passed out and missed everything.  The women were not there yet, and the disciples came after the women had come and gone.  No one saw yet everyone knew!  Everyone knew it happened because for the next forty days, Jesus appeared to, talked to, ate with, or was touched by hundreds of His followers.  No one saw Jesus walk out of the tomb, but everyone was clearly aware that He did, and everything changed from that moment forward.

    Everything changed because Jesus lives!  Death is no longer the final ending for man.  There is more to come, more to experience, more to be because Jesus showed us the way.  Jesus conquered death; it could not keep him dead.  Death lost its complete grip on man and its final victory.  We may still experience physical death, but it is now only a door to our eternity with Jesus.  It is not our final end, it is a passage to our final end, an ending where we are healed of all pain, freed from all injustice, and now eating at the table of the feast that never ends.  Jesus changes the trajectory of our lives; we no longer have to live in fear of the evil the devil attempts to scare us with.  We no longer have to wonder what our fate in this life is; our fate is determined because Jesus lives and has promised His believers life eternal.  We have our hope in Jesus, a hope that will sustain us for our lifetime.

    Jesus’ resurrection changes everything for you.  You now can live in the peace and comfort of His loving arms.  You have his eternal and benevolent presence in your life to bring you the assurance of life eternal with Him.

Alleluia!!  Christ is risen!!  He is risen indeed.  Alleluia!!

Gracious Father, keep us safe in your loving arms.  Keep our eyes ever focused on Jesus and his resurrection that gives us life, hope and the forgiveness of sins.  Move us by Your spirit to walk in Your ways and according to Your holy will.  Help us to share with those around us who are hurting and lost to hear the wonderful news of Jesus.  Be with us, defend us and bring us to our eternal home.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret