Views from the Pews – Sunday, May 22, 2022

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Alleluia! Christ is Risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

I have to admit that the good news of Christ Risen, which is the message we proclaim throughout the Easter Season is not easy to understand.  It is called a mystery, because it is not something we can figure our for ourselves.  God has to reveal the truth about it to us.  It is the great message of hope for the world.

When we are asked during worship to proclaim the mystery of our faith, we boldly respond, “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.”  Christ gave his life to save us from our sins, but God raised him from the dead, so we gladly sing “Christ is alive.”  He loves us with an unconditional love.

Let us listen to ourselves as we pray the collect for today, “O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding.”  This is a statement of fact fully supported by numerous passages of scripture, and one that springs readily to mind is Romans 8:28, “We know that God is at work in all things for the good of those who love him…” do we believe that?

Take a little time to search out some of the glorious promises of scripture, which are intended to asure you that God loves us with an everlasting love that God has made plans for our welfare and not our hurt, that Christ gives peace to us his people in the midst of the storms of life.  Again we must ask ourselves the question, Do we believe that?”

Note carefully that the collect ends with the great hope, “that we may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire.”  Our God is an extravagant God, always willing to give us not only what we ask for, but abundantly more than we can ask or even imagine.  Do we believe that?

What an amazing life lies before us, when the Lord wakens us morning by morning and in the Spirit of the risen life we share with Christ, we can proclaim boldly, “This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.”  The challenges will not go away easily, but in the power of the resurrection we shall overcome.

Contributed