“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. (But) God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace are you have been saved). (Eph. 2:1-5, NKJV) “He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” (Luke 24:6-7)

EASTER MEANS THE DEAD CAN LIVE!

The springtime of the year is one of my favorite times. After the winter, with the cold weather, dreary days and absence of flowers and animals, springtime for me is quite refreshing. I get new energy in the spring. The other day, I took some time to listen to the birds singing. Our grass is getting its green color back again and our flower buds are pushing their way up from the ground. It is in springtime, that the things that seem dead and dormant in the winter come alive in the spring. I am convinced that it is no coincidence that Easter occurs in the spring. Even nature affirms the fact that Easter means that the dead can live!

In the Ephesians passage above, Paul reminds the Ephesians that they were in the wintertime of their life; they were dead in trespasses and sins. Then he states, “But God.”

Someone has aptly said these words are among the greatest in the Bible. Then he goes on to explain how and why God brought those who were dead back to life. He saved us from our sins by His love.

The passage from Luke’s gospel affirms the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This one single act, His rising physically, visibly, and bodily from the tomb and His return to life after His horrific death, is the bedrock of the Christian faith. This is the essence of the Christian faith story. The person of Jesus, being dead and comes back again to life, ties together all the other strands of our faith.

So, Easter means that I have been made alive spiritually. I once was dead, but now I live. I also will be made alive physically, even though my body will die, at a point in time. The power of His death and resurrection has changed the course of history for the believer, forever. Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, means that the dead can live!

Because He lives I can face tomorrow; because He lives all fear is gone; because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives!

Mary and I wish you and yours a wonderful Easter.