A Moment With Pastor Fred

As we start the service the statement, “Christ is risen!” will be given and the congregation’s audible response is, “He is risen indeed!”  That was the early church’s tradition, and we continue it today. He is risen!  He is risen indeed!  

A dear friend of mine who served Christ teaching at a seminary in Ukraine recently wrote of the devastation he and his wife have witnessed now here in the states watching the news. He said we must remember the overarching narrative of the Bible, “The bad news of a world broken by sin is the prelude to God’s Rescue and Restoration promised in and carried out through Jesus Christ. The darkest day in all of human history was the day in which the Light of the World was smothered in darkness.” That is what we observed this past Friday. Today we celebrate Christ’s triumph over death by an empty tomb. Without question the greatest miracle in Scripture is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. 

Let it be said clearly and loudly – Easter is the most important Christian holiday. The body of Jesus of Nazareth cannot be found in a Palestinian tomb. It was gloriously transformed 2000 years ago. Jesus urged his disciples to touch him –  dispensing the idea that his resurrection was purely spiritual. In fact, Jesus ate with the disciples after his crucifixion in his new body. It was a real body – different yes, but nonetheless physical and real. And it is because of his death and resurrection we can find forgiveness and the promise of eternal life.

Thank you for being with us as we celebrate his resurrection!