Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Christ has Risen! HE has Risen INDEED! Alleluia! Happy Resurrection Day! Happy Easter!
Today we gather after celebrating the Seder Meal on Maundy Thursday with the Stripping of the Altar and ending in silence. Then the Good Friday Tenebrae Service ending with only the Christ candle and our individual candles reminding us that Christ is in us and we are not alone. It is Friday but Sunday is coming! Now we are here! Celebrating a SONrise service starting outside and going inside at 7:45am with a Easter Breakfast at 9am and then the Resurrection CELEBRATION at 10:07am.
I can not wait to share the truth of Christ's Resurrection both with the lessons of the SONrise Service, hearing of Mary's faithful response to our Lord in John 20 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic,[b] “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. We will ask how even though we are confused by all the things the Lord has said and does we can still share the truth as Mary: "We have seen the LORD!"
During the Resurrection Celebration Service we will ponder as Peter the "IDLE TALE" that many people today experience when they observe Christianity from the outside. We will ask how we can experience and impress upon others that the truth is not an "Idle Tale" as we hear in Luke 24 nor "NONSENSE" as the NIV translates it. Luke 24: But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
But that we have over 2000 years of proof that the Resurrection has the POWER to change lives! So let us not just marvel at what happened but move forward sharing this wonderful truth.
May tomorrow be a day that we celebrate the truth that "CHRIST HAS RISEN! HE HAS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA! These are more than words. They are our battle cry! We know the power of the LOVE, HOPE, JOY and PEACE these words bring to us! We can not help but share HIM!
Happy Easter!
Love in Christ our RISEN LORD AND SAVIOR,
Pastor Bryan
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