Easter: The Best Reason to Get Up in the Morning!

All of us have experienced those times in life when we didn’t feel all that enthused about getting up in the morning. Maybe it was a nagging problem which just wouldn’t go away. Or, it might have been the crushing sense of futility that the daily routine can have on us. We’ve all been there. We’ve all asked the question, “What good reason do I have for getting up this morning?”

Do you think that maybe some of the men disciples felt that way on Easter Sunday morning? Maybe that’s why we only find the women at the empty tomb. We do know for certain, however, that Monday morning there was no question all the disciples had everything in the world to get up for. On Easter Sunday evening, around dinner time, Jesus Christ physically appeared to his disciples. At first they thought it was a ghost, but after some reassuring words, a demonstration of his pierced hands and a bite to eat, they were convinced the dead Jesus of the Friday before was now alive.

It is not hard to imagine the celebration in that room two thousand years ago – the hugging, the happy laughter, the tears of joy. But Jesus does not leave them celebrating, instead he gives his disciples an ongoing mission. He said, “

“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you…If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

From that day on, Peter, James, John and the others never lacked a reason for getting up in the morning. They were on a mission from God himself to let people know that eternal life is a free gift to anyone willing to receive it. That mission continues today. It is no less urgent or important than it was when Jesus first gave it. If you need a reason to get up in the morning, join us this Saturday evening (6:00 pm) or Sunday morning (10:00 am). Your life may never be the same!

Easter Is the Answer to the Questions We All Ask

“Why?” That is the question on the lips of Americans. Even though justice seems to have been executed swiftly in the case of the Boston Marathon bombers, the nation is in shock. “Why are we such a violent people?” The events of the past week made it clear that the problem of mass murder is not rooted primarily in guns, but the human spirit.

In the coming days there will probably be news of lawmakers proposing all sorts of new legislation aimed at preventing another such tragedy. But deep down we know that laws are meant to be broken. What humans need is a change of heart – and that, in the view of many, will never happen.

Easter does give us answers to our “why” questions of 2013. They are not the kind of answers a human being would come up with, but they definitely address the issues at hand. It is hard for many people today to admit the need for divine intervention. But isn’t it better to confess we are helpless than to simply ask “Why? Why? Why?” without ever expecting an answer? That would seem to be the essence of futility.

Join us this weekend as we search out the Easter answers for life’s most agonizing “why” questions and let the healing begin.