“He is not here, He has risen, just as He said”
Matthew 28:6
I can’t begin to express to you how deeply I wish I was able to greet each of you in person this morning! It’s hard enough being limited to a mere video stream each Sunday as we “gather” for worship. But it is “doubly hard” to be limited to video on Easter morning! And yet none of that changes the fact that, virus or no virus, Christ is Risen! He is Risen, indeed! And that is our hope!
And yet, this has always been our hope as Christ’s church! Even though we find ourselves in this unique and strange situation as far as our own life experience goes, the church has always had to fix it’s eyes on Christ and the hope of his resurrection in times of trial! Let me give you just one example.
In the early days of communism in Russia, so the story goes, the politburo would send commissars out to the countryside to instruct the people in the “wisdom” of atheism. One such commissar arrived in a small city and commanded the people to attend his classes on the triumph of atheism over belief in God each evening for seven days. On the last day of his instruction, feeling rather proud of himself, he issued a challenge, “After all I have shown you, is there anyone here who can dispute what I say?” One hand went up at the back of the room. It was an old priest, a genuine believer, who had served that town for decades. He asked, “May I have a chance to counter your claims?” “I’ll give you ten minutes,” the commissar replied. “I’ll only need a few seconds” the priest said. With that, he turned to the crowd and shouted, “He is risen!” To which a thousand voices thundered back, “He is risen, indeed!”
Christ has, indeed, risen! And it is that fact of history that grounds our faith in what is real and give us hope no matter what our situation! Christ has risen!
I’m rejoicing in the hope of His Resurrection and missing you terribly!
Pastor Scott Lee