He Is Risen!

In the eighteenth century, there was a famous British poet named Gilbert West. Although he was the son of a pastor, he once decided to attack Christianity as a non-Christian against Jesus Christ. To attack Christianity, he could attack the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the core truth of Christianity. Without faith in the Resurrection, the propagation of Christianity would be vain. Faith would be also in vain because we would be false witnesses of God. West, working with an anti-Christian prejudice, began to collect evidence that Christ Jesus had not been resurrected. If he denied the resurrection, everything in Christianity would be pointless, and Christianity would collapse. But while collecting and studying the data, West found that the resurrection of Christ was an undeniable truth. So, he converted to Christianity, and in 1747, wrote a great book called Observations on the History and Evidence of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, for which Oxford University awarded him an LLD. West said that there was enough evidence to prove the resurrection of Jesus Christ to overwhelm him and remove his doubts.

Evidence of Resurrection can also be found in nature. In our garden, my wife planted the roots of flowers that a church member had given her last year. The leaves and the roots dried up; they looked dead. However, the fresh sprouts sprouted, and the flowers came back to life this spring. Last fall, we saw a caterpillar enter a cocoon during the winter, only to be reborn as a butterfly flying through the sky with the warmth of spring. God has already shown us the reality of Resurrection through nature.

Although we don’t know when the COVID-19 pandemic will end, it is now losing its power. I feel a new energy of revival in people’s faces and lives. Still, the world suffers from wars and natural disasters, but we live in the faith and power of Resurrection because we have the hope of Jesus’ resurrection.

Our church has risen as a result of the resurrection of Jesus. Sunday worship is returning to normal; we are singing hymns; the choir is praising, and we enjoy fellowship every Sunday. People are returning to in-person meetings and activities. On Easter Sunday, I hope all believers will come out in front of God to experience the resurrection of Jesus Christ and enjoy the life of Resurrection.

Prayer

Lord of Resurrection, the warm spring has come again with flowers blooming. The long winter has finally passed. The pandemic, which crushed our bodies and souls, has lost its power, and the spring of our souls has come. Give your people who are still suffering from disease, war, and famine hope and courage. Help them rise again. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, the first fruit of Resurrection. Amen.