What would you say is the single most important word at Easter? Some might say, “Jesus,” and of course there would be no Easter without Jesus. Others might say “resurrection” or “risen.” The entire Easter story is about the resurrection; however, we would like to suggest that the most important word for each of us may be the word “INDEED.”
Many churches begin their Easter Service with the celebrant proclaiming, “The Lord is RISEN.” The congregation responds, “The Lord is risen INDEED!”
Indeed: truly, undeniably, without a doubt—do you have the type of relationship with Jesus the hymnist Alfred Henry Ackley wrote about?
“I Serve a Risen Savior”
Alfred Henry Ackley (1887-1960)
I serve a risen Savior, he’s in the world today;
I know that he is living whatever men may say;
I see his hand of mercy; I hear his voice of cheer,
And just the time I need him, he’s always near.
Chorus:
He lives, he lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life’s narrow way.
He lives, he lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know he lives
He lives within my heart.
You can listen to countless Easter sermons, read every book ever written on the resurrection, sing all the Easter songs, and even know the Bible by heart; but unless you indeed feel the power of the living Jesus in your heart, you can, like the doubting disciple Thomas, end up saying, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” John 20:25
Thomas looked for tangible proof of Christ’s resurrection. We find our proof in the impact knowing a living Jesus makes in our life.
We offer the following words of the apostle Paul as an Easter blessing: “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:15-20 (NLT)
He is RISEN! The Lord is risen INDEED!
Blessings,
Don & Bonnie
Graphic courtesy of truthforamericasyouth.wordpress.com
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