Good morning: Last week we celebrated Easter. We heard the angels’ words to the women: “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He has risen!” But now what? What are we going to do with Easter? Some quickly forget it. It never enters their mind until Easter comes again the following year. Others fondly think of it as a nice story, somewhat along the lines of a favorite fairy tale with a message of springtime hope. Then there are those who may take it more seriously and consider the Resurrection a historical event, but one which does not have any relevance for life today. What are we to do with Easter? The Lord emphasizes one thing. He says, “Believe it!” John writes, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God” (1 Jn. 5:1). By faith we receive all that Jesus accomplished by His suffering, death, and resurrection. “He was handed over to death because of our trespasses and was raised to life because of our justification” (Rom. 4:25). By His death Jesus paid the world’s debt. His resurrection on Easter is the confirmation that God has declared the world not guilty for Jesus’ sake. Faith receives that verdict and holds it tightly as our own precious treasure. What are you going to do with Easter? Believe it. Thank God for giving you the faith to believe through the Spirit’s power in the Word. Faith doesn’t just believe that Easter happened, it believes that Jesus rose for you, and that because He lives, you too will rise and live forever. That faith makes all the difference when it comes to our eternal future. It makes all the difference for today. By faith we have the peace of knowing that as we begin another day, all is well between us and God. We are His beloved children in Christ. By faith we have the confidence that no matter how many troubles or difficulties the day brings, we are more than conquers through Him who loved us. By faith, regardless of how mundane the day may seem, we have a worthwhile purpose. We are witnesses of Christ’s resurrection to our families, friends, and all around us. Believe it! Yours in Christ, Pastor Services tomorrow are at 8:00 and 10:45 a.m. The children will sing at the beginning of second service. Sunday school begins at 9:30 and adult Bible class at 9:45 a.m. The public school confirmation class meets at 12:15 p.m. Here is the link for service signup: https://tinyurl.com/y2j5r8sn Signing up for the Sunday service by 6 p.m. Saturday is appreciated and helpful and a way of showing Christian love for one another. It gives the Elders and ushers an idea of how many people to prepare for. When you sign up you can also see how full the service will be, and if you wish, consider attending the other service. By signing up, you can easily be informed if that were advisable because of contact with someone at the service who later became ill.
