Celebrating Easter!
Jesus Has Risen! He Has Risen Indeed, Alleluia! As you have probably guessed by now those are some of my favorite words to proclaim during Easter. Easter is a celebratory season. We celebrate new life, resurrection power – that transforms the darkness of this world, and we celebrate an everlasting hope. A hope that is centered on the truth that Jesus has defeated death and brought healing into a broken world. The Gospel declares that no matter how spiritual, dutiful, prayerful or dedicated we are, it is not enough to save us. What Jesus did was sufficient. Here is one of my favorite Easter quotes.
“The difference between knowing Christ and knowing the power of his resurrection, is the difference between knowing a person and resembling a person . . . It is not about relationship but about supernatural character growth. When Paul says, “I want to know him,” it means, “I want to be with him,” but when he says, “I want to know the power of his resurrection,” it means, “I want to be just like him.” Look at the deadness in your life. Look at the anger. How is that going to be turned into forgiveness? Look at the insecurity. How is that going to be turned into confidence? Look at the self-centeredness. How is that going to be turned into compassion and generosity? How? The answer is that the dead stuff gets taken over by the Spirit of God . . . It’s the power of the resurrection—the same thing that raised Jesus from the dead.” – Tim Keller
Takeaways from our Easter Worship series
- Easter is always the answer to “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me”
- Easter shows us the impossible can happen in our lives
- Resurrection power is released as we remember and live by the words of Jesus.
- God takes our flawed offerings and uses them in miraculous ways.
- Our faith allows us to look for hope in the strangest of places… even in death!
- We can let go of our doubts, fears, and even expectations because of resurrection. Sometimes things die, but God continues to resurrect them in new ways.
- Doubts and disappointments are not a sign of a lack of faith. Rather, they are signs that our faith is interacting with a broken world.
- When we are afraid, confused, or simply find it hard to believe, the answer always is to touch Jesus.
- Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit. Filling us with the power to unleash forgiveness on the world.
- Even though we may lose control of our lives, we still know we are heading to heaven. This allows us to truly live.
- Jesus provides the 2 things Peter needs most. A sense of belonging and purpose
- What we need more than an intellectual argument or facts is the presence of God in our lives.
- We don’t believe our way into belonging in The Community of Faith. We belong first and then come to believe.