 Sunday, April 8, 2007 |
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Christ our Lord
is risen today, hallelujah! Hallelujah means
holy is God. Easter is the season when God's
holiness is manifest through JesusÛ death, burial
and resurrection. Satan attempted to destroy God's
son, however Jesus overcame Satan and all of deathÛs
power. Resurrection is the hallmark of the churchÛs
faith. As Paul said, without it, we are among
humanityÛs most miserable people.
There have been many theories about the resurrection.
Some hold that JesusÛ death was really an
occasion of resuscitation, not of resurrection. The
theory goes that Jesus had lapsed into a coma, but the
cold environment of the tomb revived him. In a book
published in the 1970s, entitled The Passover Plot, the
author argued something more nefarious. He said
that Jesus had plotted and orchestrated what appeared to
be his death. This argument says that the sponge
given to him while on the cross contained not vinegar,
but a powerful drug that induced a catatonic state and
made it appear that Jesus was dead. To make this
case, the book contends that other incidents that
surrounded the death of Jesus, such as the instruction to
follow an unknown man with a water pitcher to the site of
the Upper Room, were proofs that Jesus had hidden
accomplices, who assisted him in the plot to stage his
death, and resurrection.
What the book does not address is how the awesome wound
in his side, inflicted by a Roman soldier with a spear,
could have been overcome. Piercing the heart
cavity, as indicated by the pouring forth of the blood
and water, would have caused instant death.
Easter must be understood by faith. No reason or
logic can explain what took place in the misty morning at
the grave in Jerusalem. The disciples,
eyewitnesses to it all, doubted and struggled with the
meaning of the event. However, as they processed
what took place on that day they would ultimately say, Hallelujah,
Christ the Lord is risen today.
Readings for April 15,
2007: Acts 5:27-32; Psalm 150 or Psalm
118:14-29; Revelation 1:4-8; John 20:19-31
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OUR PURPOSE
Building the Village by Caring
Concept: Our pastor, the Reverend Wallace Charles Smith, envisions a holistic Ministry of Building by Caring, which includes a 3-tier approach - Care for Ourselves (spiritually), Care for Our Relations (family, friends and members), and Care for Our Community (outreach). In building our capacity to care we will also create an atmosphere that will increase our church's membership, winning more souls to Christ; they will know we are Christians by our love;.
