Easter
Grace to you!
In a few days we have the privilege of celebrating Easter. The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from death is considered the highest holy day of our Christian church heritage. And why wouldn’t it be:
• St. Paul says, “If there is no resurrection of the flesh, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1Cor. 15:13-14).
• If Christ has not been raised from the dead, then His death for your sins has not been accepted by God. If that were true then you would still be “dead in your sins and trespass” (Ephesians 2:1).
• If Christ died but did not rise to new life, then St. Paul’s words in Romans 5:10 would have no power; we would still be enemies of God.
• If Christ were not resurrected, then the body of Jesus has seen decay and Acts 2:31 and Psalm 16:10 have no basis in truth.
• If the body of Jesus has not risen from the grave and has decayed, then 1Cor. 13:10 makes no sense; “Now we see but a poor reflection, as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.”
• St. Peter says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1Peter 1:3). What becomes of our ‘living hope’ and our ‘new birth’ if Jesus is not risen from the dead?
And this says nothing of our own souls being reunited with the flesh; of Job’s assurance that ‘in his flesh he would see God’; of our comfort of seeing loved ones who have passed before us in the flesh in heaven; and of all the other great biblical references to our own resurrection following Christ Jesus as our example. This is the greatest truth of the Bible-that Jesus died to pay our sins penalty; that the Father accepted His death as payment in full; that our witness of the Father’s acceptance of Jesus death in our place is the resurrection of Jesus’ flesh; and that Jesus now lives and reigns eternally in heaven with His Father and with the Holy Spirit-Jesus Christ in His resurrected and glorified body!
Take time this Easter season and read the Gospel of John. Remember the Lord praying for you in Chapters 12-17; how our Lord desires that where He is going back to the Father is the place He wants all those who believe in Him to be as well! Familiarize yourself with those wonderful words and prayers of Jesus and believe all over again that His work at the cross is not ended until He rises again, ascends to the Father’s right hand in heaven, and comes again in His glorious Second Coming-the day upon which He will bring all those who believe in Him to heaven-in their gloried flesh of His resurrection!
Are you a member of this congregation who has not been here for awhile? Please come! Come this Easter! Come and be refreshed in the resurrection glory of Jesus. Come and be fed the body and blood of Jesus! Come and hear the wonders of God’s love for you; His forgiveness for you; His desire to see you in heaven where He is through Jesus-the resurrected Jesus! St. Andrews has always been a ‘welcoming place.’ We have always been an oasis in the deserts of this life; a place where living water-the Living Water of Jesus-flows freely to all who will receive Him. Don’t be shy. Don’t stay away! Don’t let another Easter go by without being embraced in the arms of never-ending love! Come and experience again those wonderful words of truth; “He is risen!”
In the love and service of Christ to all the saints of St. Andrews,
Pastor Jeff Duncan
