Easter 2020

This year, Easter will be different for many of us, but by keeping apart we keep others safe. But Easter isn’t canceled; indeed, we need Easter as much as ever. The discovery of the risen Christ on the first Easter Day gave his followers new hope and fresh purpose, and we can all take heart from this. We know that coronavirus will not overcome us.

Queen Elizabeth

Easter Resurrection Power

With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.  And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all.  Acts 4:33

Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection, and the life...

25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
King James Version (KJV)

John 11:25

Public Domain

A Skeptic Investigates Easter

CONCLUSION

I started my original investigation as a spiritual skeptic, but after having thoroughly investigated the evidence for the resurrection, I was coming to a startlingly unexpected verdict. One final philosopher named J. P. Moreland—clinched the case for me.  "When Jesus was crucified," Moreland told me, "his followers were discouraged and depressed.  So they dispersed. The Jesus movement was all but stopped in its tracks. Then, after a short period of time, we see them abandoning their occupations, Re-gathering, and committing themselves to spreading a very specific message—that Jesus Christ was the Messiah of God who died on a cross, returned to life, and was seen alive by them.

"And they were willing to spend the rest of their lives proclaiming this, without any payoff from a human point of view. They faced a life of hardship. They often went without food, slept exposed to the elements, and were ridiculed, beaten, imprisoned. And finally, most of them were executed in torturous ways…For what? For good intentions? No, because they were convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that they had seen Jesus Christ alive from the dead." Yes, people will die for their religious convictions if they sincerely believe they are true. Religious fanatics have done that throughout history. While they may strongly believe in the tenets of their religion, however, they don't know for a fact whether their faith is based on the truth. They simply cannot know for sure. They can only believe.In stark contrast, the disciples were in the unique position to know for a fact whether Jesus had returned from the dead. They saw him, they touched him, they ate with him. They knew he wasn't a hallucination or a legend. And knowing the truth, they were willing to die for him.

That insight stunned me. The disciples didn't merely believe in the resurrection; they knew whether it was fact or fiction. Had they known it was a lie, they would never have been willing to sacrifice their lives for it. Nobody willingly dies for something that they know is false. They
proclaimed the resurrection to their deaths for one reason alone: they knew it was true.
 
And based on the historical data I had examined, I became convinced they were right. Combined with the other evidence for Jesus that I describe in my book

The Case for Christ, I concluded that he really is the one and only Son of God, who proved it by rising from the dead.

Peace That Passes All Understanding

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” ²² And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld. 
- John 20:19-23

Easter Morning - Marvel

But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened. Luke:24:12

Easter - a Time of Transformation

ionNew Creation

The power of God transforms my life.

I may associate darkness with fear or sadness. Yet darkness may also mark a new beginning, a time of transformation. Out of what was, something new emerges. The chick emerges from the egg; the butterfly emerges from the cocoon. Time in the darkness is an important and essential part of the process of life.
Jesus knew that the darkness of the tomb held the promise of eternal life. In faith I move through times of challenge, even of sorrow, expecting good to be revealed through the activity of Spirit. In the midst of what may appear to be darkness, I open myself to new wisdom. With each experience, I emerge a new creation of Spirit.

Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy.--John 16:20

Source:http://DailyWord.com

Resurrected Christ

Provided by Pastor Wilson:
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One way to meditate on Christ during this Easter season

is by looking thoughtfully at artists' depictions of the events
surrounding Christ's death and resurrection.

I have been greatly blessed by seeing these events through the eyes of James J. Tissot
(French painter and illustrator, 1836-1902). He was a well-known French impressionist painter, who in his later years produced a series of 700 watercolors to illustrate the Old and New Testaments -- and helped develop his own Christian faith. I hope you enjoy Tissot's exquisite work as much as I have.
Pastor Ralph
http://www.joyfulheart.com/
James J. Tissot, 'Resurrection' (1896)
Brooklyn Museum, watercolor.