By: Pastor Arnel Tan
JOHN 20:1 ~ "Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance."
Today, we look back on a past event called the resurrection. We look at it as something historical, and somehow, void of any sense of relevance for today. Perhaps, due to its familiarity to the Christian faith, many have concluded it as being an event of the past. It is not the denial of the resurrection that kills hope–it is the attitude of indifference towards it.
Today, let us prayerfully see the resurrection of Jesus, not only through the lenses of theology and the Christian faith but rather through the lens of present hope and future glory! Let us ask God to restore the wonder of grace and hope in the light that we have a risen Lord! Our gathering today is not a memorial for someone who died…but it is about a Savior who is alive! Our gathering is not about what kind of life Jesus lived…rather, we celebrate the new life we have in Christ that makes us people of blazing hope rather than people knocked out by despair. The life of Christ alive in us guides our path as we tread the journey to becoming more desirous of knowing His power by giving up our addiction to 'worldly' power.
Today, we savor the powerful truth that life in Christ is a series of wonders and hope. Yes, we are not exempted from the badness of life’s realities but the good news of the gospel and the truth of the resurrection have already defeated all bad news that may come our way. In other words, the resurrection hope is greater than any present-day hopelessness or future gloom. Yes, the body will still battle disease and go through deterioration, death, and decay…yet, the resurrection is our preview that those who believe in the Risen Lord will someday be raised with Him in glory!
Let us greet each other with a vibrant greeting of hope. "THE LORD IS RISEN, THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED!" Easter means to live in HOPE AGAIN!
