What is the best proof of the church? - it is an interesting question. Quite simply the resurrection of Jesus - because if there was no resurrection – there would be no church. And conversely the existence and survival of the church over the past 2,000 years is the most tangible proof of the resurrection we can find.
Easter is the foundation event for us - because it marks God’s great “Yes” to all the negativity we experience in life, and we all experience many things that are less than ideal. But the ultimate ‘no’ we experience is the great negative event - Death! By raising Jesus from the dead, God has broken the power of all the less than satisfactory things in life we all experience including our worst fear death. When God raised Jesus from the dead - God cancelled out the dread of all the no’s and all the negativity life appears to throw our way including death itself – God has granted the greatest gift of life eternal - a life that brings hope, joy, and freedom.
At the moment we as a church face challenges on several fronts - aging congregations, a dip in finance, a global pandemic, a presbytery plan that many people, including myself and the eldership, have strong reservations about. The sum total is that our life as a community of believers is being robbed of joy. We may feel jaded and despondent that past efforts have not born the fruit we have wanted – it’s not hard to see ourselves in a tomb, a place so dark that no light or hope can exist. But we are the church - the body of Christ are risen to new life in the place that God has put us for this moment in time. Just as God raised Jesus to new life from the darkness of the grave - I believe God will give us the strength, the energy, and the vision - to claim our future as a church of the resurrection and live out our faith in our community and in our own households as we navigate through the uncertain times that we all live in. What a statement of Easter that will be as we walk out the tomb of despair and claim the victory Christ has won.
As Easter approaches - I encourage you to join us for worship and to ponder on the greatest story ever told - the Life, the Death, and the Resurrection of Jesus.
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