A Note from Pastor Kevin: Resurrection Sunday

I love March. Mostly because it’s time for March Madness, the NCAA basketball tournament that pits the top 64 teams against each other over three weeks until one team emerges victorious in the championship game. It’s a basketball fan’s dream. I love it! Every year there a few teams that everyone counts out that somehow defy the odds and win against far superior teams or bigger name schools. There are also several games that always come down to the last few seconds and when all hope seems to be lost the unthinkable happens. . . they win!! You can see the grief on the fans face as all hope seems to drain from their hearts, and they wait for what seems inevitable. And just as they just start to grieve and reality sets in. . . a half court shot goes in as the buzzer sounds and sadness turns into exuberant joy and celebration. Many people are stunned in unbelief and they can’t fully seem to wrap their heads around what just happened.

What an amazing yet inadequate metaphor for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. All hope seemed to be lost for His faithful followers as they watched their friend, rabbi and hopeful Messiah die in front of their eyes. His breath was gone. His blood was spilled. His side was pierced and all of his enemies, both on men and demons celebrated a would-be victory. They even heard Him declare from a bloodied cross, “It is finished.” How they must have thought this was the ultimate declaration of defeat, not knowing it was just a statement of Victory in the making.

Three days later the unthinkable happened. Victory had indeed come long after anyone could have hoped for. As the disciples heard the news and saw with their own eyes that death couldn’t hold their Savior down. The grave was conquered. The enemy was defeated and Satan’s plan and sin’s consequence were forever rendered impotent at the power of His resurrection. He did it! He won the mortal battle and the spiritual war! Grief turned to Joy. Some struggled to get their heads wrapped around this unbelievable miracle. Yet as the truth set in and He revealed himself to them over and over for 40 days, these downcast cowards became bold world changers. They took His victory, empowered by the indwelling Spirit of death smashing resurrection and new life all over the world.  Over two thousand years later His followers are still living in and sharing His victory. And Jesus is still stepping into our hopeless situations when everyone thinks it’s all but lost, and releases His resurrection power. It’s who He is. It’s what He does. It’s what He carries and gives away.

Is there someone in your life who does not yet know Jesus and His victorious power?  I encourage you to invite them to Resurrection Sunday.

This week, let us remember the ultimate victory that Jesus won, what it cost Him and what it gives us. Life, eternal life and abundant life through Him. May God continue to release life-giving resurrection into every facet of your life and every arena of our world!