Happy Resurrection Day!

As much as I love Christmas, I love Easter all the more. Having grown up to adulthood outside of Christ, I have vivid memories of what it is like to be lost, to not have Jesus' resurrection as my own, to have Easter simply be a day of tradition but not meaning. For me, Easter is not only the celebration of Jesus defeating death, but the celebration of Jesus defeating my death - celebrating the moment my heart was opened.

We must teach our children what Easter means. Most of them know that it's not about candy and eggs. Most of them know that it has to do with the resurrection of Christ. But they must know what the resurrection of Christ really means. Not just the theology of it (what it means for mankind), but what it means to us personally. Do your children know what special meaning Easter has for you, how the eternal truth of Easter has impacted you?

We will teach the meaning of Easter at church Friday night and Sunday morning, but we cannot teach your children what specific meaning it has for you. Take time this weekend to tell you children the personal impact the resurrection of Christ has had. Even if they've heard it before, tell them again. Pass on to them what Easter is all about, make sure they know, make sure they can carry on the meaning of Easter to their families one day. Let them see how Christ affects you.

Please join us for all the events this Easter weekend:

• Tenebrae service, Friday, 7-8PM. A somber, reflective service to dwell on the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf.
• "The Passion" (after the Tenebrae service). Mel Gibson's movie about the last week of Jesus' life.
• Semi-annual workday, Saturday, 9AM-12PM. Put in an hour or two to share in the responsibility of maintaining our church property. (Not really an Easter event, but it is a family event where we can invest in the church Jesus created by tending to the place we gather as the church.)
  
• Easter Breakfast, Sunday, 9:30AM. Our annual event for the men to cook breakfast for the entire church family. Men - if you didn't sign up for what you want to make yet, please email me or call me.
• Easter service, Sunday, 10:30AM. Celebrate the resurrection with us - the one event that gives us our assurance for eternal life.
  

Easter

What if Jesus was never raised from the dead? What if He was born of a virgin, had a ministry of teaching about the Kingdom of God with such authority to amaze the crowds, healed people of their diseases, calmed the storm, cast out demons, was betrayed and handed over for crucifixion to pay for our sins - everything the same, except no resurrection? What would be different about Christianity? Besides, isn't it His death that paid for our sin?

First, we would have no victory over death. Jesus defeated death not by dying on the cross, but by rising on the third day. If death held Jesus in its grip forever, then death would have more power than He does. We could not say that He has victory over death and offers us that same victory if He never went through death and ended up walking away from it.

Second, Jesus would not be able to ascend to the throne and reign forever if He never made it out of the grave. He would not be preparing a place for us, because He wouldn't be there to prepare it, and we wouldn't be joining Him there, anyway.

Third, if Jesus was not raised from the dead, then we would have no hope of being raised from the dead, too. He says that He is the resurrection and the life, and that if we believe in Him, we will live even if we die. However, if He doesn't live after going through death, then what hope do we have? What good would it be if He paid for our sin, but never paved the way for resurrection so that we could enjoy the eternal benefits of having our sin forgiven?

Fourth, the resurrection of Christ is the confirmation that He is in fact fully divine. If the tomb could hold Him, then we would all naturally assume that He was just a man. But if He has more power than death, then we have all the evidence we need to conclude that He is none other than the Son of God, equal with God, of the same essence and substance as God, and yet a distinct person from the Father. The resurrection sets Jesus apart from Muhammed and Buddha and the Dalai Lama.

The resurrection is essential to Christian doctrine. It's not just a happy ending to the sad story of His passion. Jesus is not the Messiah without the resurrection.

Happy Resurrection Day!