Christ Is Risen!
He Is Risen Indeed!
Worship Series | What Difference Does It Make?
April 5—May 24
Life is full of either/or moments. Some of them are of little long-term consequence. I will have either the chicken or the fish. Some of them matter more. I will accept the new job offer or keep my current job. One either/or moment is life-changing for every human being. Either Jesus is still dead, or Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus claimed he would rise from the dead. “The Son of Man must suffer many things . . . be killed and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31). So if Jesus remains dead, he is both a failure and a fraud. If Christ has not been raised, we are still in our sin.
But Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! It makes all the difference! He lives! The season of Easter is a 50-day celebration of that fact.
The Resurrection of Our Lord | Easter Dawn
April 5 | 6:00am Hillsboro
He Lives to Dry My Tears and Take Away My Fears
I can walk through a cemetery where loved ones are buried. What do I feel? Sadness as I think of their departure? Fear that I will soon join them? Without the resurrection of Jesus, I fear death and I continue to cry.
But he lives, and it makes a difference. Jesus is the resurrection first fruits for the harvest of humanity. Dead is not dead forever. Death is not final at all! My deceased Christian loved ones are not gone forever. I will see them again. Jesus will do what he promised. He dries my tears. He takes away my fears.
The Resurrection of Our Lord | Easter Day
April 5 | 8:30am Hillsboro| 10:30am Wonewoc
He Lives to Take Me from Death to Life
Without the resurrection of Jesus, death would appear permanent. No one would have come back from the dead to explain what happens after death. Jesus told his disciples what would happen. But they were slow to believe the Easter truth. God ensured that his people had witnesses to assure that Jesus did not remain dead.
He lives, and it makes a difference! I too shall live. Death has become a pathway into paradise. Jesus has already made me spiritually alive by giving me faith in his resurrection. In every possible way, Jesus takes me from death to life.