Church family,
We are days away from the day that has been set aside to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. People all around the world will find their way to a church this Sunday. Each will have a reason for being there.
“It’s Easter!”
“The family is getting together after church for lunch.”
“Mom really wants us there.”
“It’s that time of year to go to church!”
For many of us who know Christ as Savior, we will come to celebrate the central event in human history – the resurrection of Jesus! After all, Jesus conquered death!
Teacher and author Jared C. Wilson writes these comments about celebrating Easter, the resurrection of Jesus:
“Who wouldn’t want to celebrate that? This is why I find it odd every year to see many Christian churches making a huge deal at Easter time about everything but the resurrection. Many churches give away door prizes, gifts of cash, and electronic consumer goods. Some mega-churches even give away cars! They know that Easter has great potential for church visitation, so any extra incentive they can think of to get people in the door seems worth it. But all I can ever think about this “cash and prizes” religious bait game is how unamazing it makes the resurrection seem. I mean, our leader came back from the dead.”
You’d think celebrating a resurrection would be enough to get folks to church.
How central is the resurrection to Christianity? Consider Paul’s words to the church in Corinth:
1 Corinthians 15:13-14 (NLT) For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.
What is Paul saying? There is no Christianity without the resurrection! Let that sink in… People that go to church for other reasons are missing the point. People that do not believe in the resurrection, yet call themselves Christians, are not Christian. Christianity hinges on the resurrection of Jesus!
My longing for each of you is this: that you will live in the reality of the resurrection.
That you will grasp the depths of what it means. That your life will be lived in the love and hope found in a risen Savior!
Walking with you,
Pastor Brian