JESUS LIVES!

"I have seen the Lord!  And He is alive!"

Imagine being one of Jesus' early followers and hearing the above words spoken on that first Easter Sunday morning.  All the sadness of Friday and Saturday is shattered by five little words; all the sorrow about Jesus' death has been transformed into joy beyond belief.  According to Luke's gospel, Peter couldn't take Mary's word for it and had to witness the empty tomb for himself.

The news of Easter - that Jesus has broken the bonds of sin forever - is almost too good to believe.  But that is the foundation of our faith.  The Apostle Paul wrote:

"Christ died for our sins,...He was buried, and three days later He was raised to life....Death has lost the battle! Where is its victory? Where is its sting? Sin is what gives death its sting, and the Law is the power behind sin. But thank God for letting our Lord Jesus Christ give us the victory!" (1 Cor. 15:3b-4, 54b-57 CEV).

"The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23).

Easter could  not take place without Good Friday, the empty tomb was not possible without the cross; and our eternal salvation could not be guaranteed without Jesus' sacrifice.  We often prefer to jump from Palm Sunday to Easter - two days of celebration - and skip over the holy week events of betrayal, denial, and death.  But Easter cannot have its full impact without traveling the difficult road to the cross.  For it is only as we recognize the price Jesus paid for us - His life - that we begin to understand the true eternal meaning of the Easter celebration.

I invite you to journey with members of our church family through the difficult days of Holy Week and the exuberant celebration of Easter in the following special services this week:

Maundy Thursday Service, March 24 in the church parlor at 7:00 p.m. as we remember and celebrate the last meal Jesus shared with His disciples.

Community Good Friday Service, March 25 at 12:00 noon in St. Paul's Episcopal  focusing on the seven last words of Christ.

Easter Sunday, March 27 - Resurrection Service inside the front entrance (near the spiral staircase) at 8:00 a.m. as we celebrate Christ's resurrection.

Easter Breakfast at 8:30 a.m. catered by Boy Scout Troop 603 in Social Hall.

Easter Worship including  believer's baptism at 11:00 a.m.

In Christ's service,

Pastor Martha Dominy