CHBC,
Matthew 28:6-7, “6 He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”
This will be the most unusual way I have spent an Easter Sunday. That will be true for many of us. But I want to remind you two truths. First, the resurrection of Jesus Christ should be so overwhelming to us that giving time and attention to reflect on that truth again in whatever setting should be enough to cause us to glory in God the Father and give thanks for salvation that comes only through repentance and trust in His Son. Jesus Christ lived perfectly, died in our place, and offers Himself as the propitiation for our sins. His death perfectly satisfied the just wrath of God. And when God raised Him from the dead He was proclaiming His complete satisfaction in the finished work of Jesus’ death. We do not need the trappings of special decorations, big musical numbers, new clothes, and crowded seating in a worship center to stir our hearts to worship. Let the simple truth of the resurrection be enough!
Second, every Sunday is a mark of the resurrection. We use Easter to emphasize Christ being raised from the dead, but the gathering of Christians on Sunday is a weekly reminder and celebration of the resurrection. This is why Christians began gathering on the first day of the week, because it was the day Jesus was raised from the dead and the disciples heard the announcement that He was not dead, but He was alive! Let this year be a reminder that we should approach every Sunday as a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We would have no reason to ever gather, sing, pray, and proclaim the good news if Jesus were not alive.
To help your heart reflect well on the resurrection we want to provide you with some additional resources for this weekend. We desire for you to be able to teach your families, and to inspire your own worship while the world also thinks about Easter. We pray these resources help you keep the focus on the right things. Mrs. Cheryl already posted a video on our Facebook page as a baking activity for your family, called Resurrection Rolls. See that video here: Mrs. Cheryl and Rob’s Resurrection Rolls. She will send some other family resources in a separate email to our families with children.
Earlier this week we sent an email with a link to Chosen People’s Ministries presentation of the Christ in the Passover. I will include that link again below. I am also including a link to a movie presentation from Sight and Sound Theaters production of “Jesus”. TBN is streaming this movie presentation, and so I will provide the link for you to be able to view this movie. It will be available over the entire weekend.
Nothing will take the place of our worship on Sunday. Although we will again not be together publicly and corporately we will be able to worship at the same moment. Please share the invitation to join us on Facebook Live. Use your personal Facebook to invite others to join the live worship service at 10:15 AM!
Links to Resurrection Resources:
By His Grace and for His Glory,
Mark D. DeMoss, Senior Pastor
