Resurrection

15 Brothers and sisters, I want to call your attention to the good news that I preached to you, which you also received and in which you stand. 2 You are being saved through it if you hold on to the message I preached to you, unless somehow you believed it for nothing. 3 I passed on to you as most important what I also received: Christ died for our sins in line with the scriptures, 4 he was buried, and he rose on the third day in line with the scriptures.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Resurrection. This is the core message of Easter, and it is one that we continually have trouble accepting. It defies all our logic and scientific explanations. Even in the church, we tend to hear more about Jesus’ sacrifice than his resurrection. We tend to hear about his atonement for sin more than his appearances after death. We even tend to warp our understanding of Resurrection to focus solely on spirit without including body. But Jesus was raised in spirit and body on the day that we now celebrate as Easter. It was not a metaphor. It was a physical event. This is important, very important.
Without Jesus’ resurrection, we have absolutely no faith! This is the central tenet of our belief, on which the entire structure rests. If Jesus was not raised, completely, then following him is just another route to death, not life. If Jesus was not completely raised, then our hope of eternity is shallow and incomplete, for Scripture holds human identity in body and soul, together.
Resurrection is the proclamation that we should be saying above all else to share our faith, every day, not just on Easter. Jesus is raised from the dead: Jesus has defeated death itself! If even death cannot keep us from God, then what can? We must learn to accept and acknowledge Jesus’ resurrection, and claim it as our own, as he promised.
This greatest miracle is the miracle of Easter and beyond. This is the very soul of our faith. This is the truest message of hope. Thanks be to God!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Brian