From Pastor Kipp + + +

Christ is risen!  He is risen, indeed!  Alleluia! 

These words formed the battle cry of the early Christians who were astounded by the good news of the Lord’s resurrection.  The gospel on Easter Sunday reminded us that the women who saw, not only the open tomb, but the Lord himself standing before them were filled with both “fear and great joy.”  Fear was a present reality.  The resurrection of Jesus didn’t change the Romans’ mind about the Christians.  They were still the enemy of the state.  The resurrection of Christ didn’t change the minds of those in the Jewish establishment.  They were still viewed as enemies of the faith.  Yet, for those who beheld the resurrection of Christ that hope was the power to hope against hope that they could unlock the doors behind which they were hiding for fear of what might happen to them and to come out into the light to live.  The Lord’s resurrection brought them the hope and the courage to face the world with the message of the crucified and risen Lord in the face of the animosity that awaited them in many places.  The resurrection of Jesus was not the “cure all” fix for a world filled with challenge and trouble, it was the power by which they could live in a world of death.

 On Easter morning in the light of the resurrected Christ the war in Iraq was still raging.  The news brought us word of the continued threat of economic collapse.  Homes were still going into foreclosure and businesses were still being threatened with failure.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ didn’t make any of that go away, just as it did not stop the threat to life and limb for the disciples.  Yet, Christ’s victory over death can be the power by which those who are in Christ Jesus can face the road, despite what may lay ahead.  With death itself conquered, what disaster can harm us. 

Life in the church, that is the Body of Christ, is not a guarantee that “everything will be alright now,” it is the guarantee that the risen Lord will be with us to lead us and carry us through whatever may befall us in the course of life.  That is the message that Jesus leaves us with in this Easter Season.  The Lord who passed through the gates of death and rose victorious is the God who travels with us along the roads of our lives.  Lord God, Jesus Christ brings us the good news that he will bring us through the course of our lives and they are leading to an eternity with the God who loves and guides our feet today. 

Let our battle cry be the same as those disciples, “Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”  

 Pastor Kipp W. Zimmermann