Excerpts From: The Messenger |
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When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him! But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go” (John 11).
Easter Sunday or Resurrection Sunday as it is called in some Christian circles: To many it means the Easter bunny, a day of food and celebration. For some it is an obligatory church-attending holiday, after which life goes on as usual. How sad that we have so quickly forgotten the true meaning of Easter. Our God reigns! Jesus Christ died, yes. But even more importantly, He rose again and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, as we say in the Apostles’ Creed.
Easter is about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ literally defied death. But He did more than just a Houdini move. We "waoh" and "ahhh" over the narrow escapes by magicians like David Copperfield and others, but eventually even those daredevils will face death. Their power is limited. But Jesus Christ was greater -- He defied death, and defeated the last enemy Forever. Jesus Christ lives and reigns for eternity, whether you or I believe that fact or not. Standing at Lazarus' tomb, Jesus delivered these hope-filled words: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live" (John 11:25). Death is not the end. And the resurrection of Jesus Christ proves it. Jesus Christ reclaimed life for all those who believe and put their trust their in Him. This is the second miracle of Easter. My miracle happened in the summer of 1969. Like that of Lazarus, Jesus called me out from a spiritual death into a living relationship with him.
Through God's work on the cross, we have access to eternal life as well: To a true believer this Resurrected Life can be lived and celebrated in the here and now experience. If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, then Easter means that you will live forever in the presence of God. Easter brings hope to the person who has been devastated by death.
Because of this born anew experience I can truly say: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ' The righteous will live by faith' (Romans 1:16-17).
May the spirit of Christ’s Resurrection fill your heart with his eternal Hope.
Christ is Risen….He is Risen, Indeed!
Your friend and pastor,
Samuel King-Kabu.
Web Page prepared by:
Roger Kenner
& Jette Blair.
Content-New Topics Last Updated: 2011/09/09
St. Ansgar's Lutheran Church - Montreal