by ALCAP | Friday, April 4, 2014
Without the resurrection Christianity would have little ultimate uniqueness. While the resurrection will undoubtedly be the theme of Easter sermons and songs, here too is the truth that brightens all the gospel proclamation. Every Sunday is Easter, the day of resurrection.
How unfortunate it is that we too often allow other concerns to become dominant in our lives to the neglect of the reality of the resurrection. This is especially true when we consider its place of prominence throughout the New Testament. The pages of gospel literature go far beyond a mere memorial to a dead leader; it announces boldly a unified witness to the risen Christ. The resurrection is the most profound truth of all the ages, the glad good news that brings victory to all God’s people.
The more violent and unstable our world becomes, the more important it is to emphasize the security we know in Christ because of the resurrection. All of us, indeed the whole of creation, will someday die. I will be the first to admit that no clear blueprint is drawn in the New Testament about the afterlife. Jesus came back from the dead but told nothing of what life was like on the other side. What we have is the mandate to live faithfully before God in life and in death, and the confidence the Bible provides for those who pursue life by faith and not by sight.
The reality of the resurrection is our ultimate hope and gives to us a sense of permanence and certainty in the increasing impermanence and uncertainty of our world. Hope in a dying world is ours to give.
Have a wonderful resurrection
celebration!
