Yesterday was another wonderful opportunity to come together as God’s people and celebrate the blessed joy of Easter that declares “Christ is risen, He is risen indeed. Alleluia”! The church was beaming with a newness of life having transitioned over from the dark and despairing setting we experienced for the Tenebrae “Service of Darkness” on Good Friday. The lilies were certainly beautiful as they stood in bright array in the front of the sanctuary. What an atmosphere for us to enter in to on this most holy day!
It was great to see so many people in our two Easter worship services. Several had not been in worship with us for quite some time. I pray they are at this very moment enjoying a renewed spirit in both heart and mind, by being in the Lord’s house to pray, praise, and give thanks to our Almighty God for the precious gift of the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
Thinking about Christ’s death, and then His resurrection on Easter morning, is not some thing we should only be doing on Easter weekend. These special events need to be in our thoughts and resting on our hearts each day. These acts of love which God carried out, in Christ Jesus, remind us just how much our Lord loves us and cares for us as His beloved children. Let us never lose sight of the unbelievable sacrifice and the joyous return from death Jesus provided for us to hold on to, while we are traveling through this fallen world. The difficulties in this life are overshadowed by the LIFE Jesus has won for us.
Having been through another Easter Day filled with the kind of joy, hope, and rejoicing that come with celebrating the resurrection of Lord Jesus, may you and I not return to business as usual until next Easter. Instead, let us be among those who live and proclaim the resurrection. We are truly people who have a lot to be fired up about in our faith. Christ is risen and one day we to will rise from the grave to live eternally. Alleluia!!!!!!!!!! Pastor McCarty