Easter is the highlight of the year for believers in Jesus Christ. It is our pinnacle celebration. As much as we love Christmas, Easter stands out as the high point of the year. It is the day when we remember and rejoice that Almighty God raised His beloved Son, Jesus of Nazareth, from the dead.
After being unimaginably abused, after being exposed to public shame, after being unjustly tried by the legal system, Jesus of Nazareth was executed in the most inhumane, the most excruciating manner possible—by crucifixion. Crucifixion brought about a long, drawn out death in agony.
Jesus suffered this on purpose. He was not executed for a crime; He had done nothing wrong, ever. He did not die because His plan to form followers was flawed, imploding because of defective strategy. Humanly speaking, Jesus died because the power people did not like Him. They hated Him, they felt threatened by Him, they envied Him.
But what was really taking place during the suffering of Jesus of Nazareth, God in the flesh, was the fulfillment of God the Father’s plan from before His creation of the world. God’s loving plan was to provide His Son as the substitute sacrifice in payment of the moral debt every human owes to God, the righteous Judge. Jesus died for our sins. So that those who repent and trust in Jesus might be forgiven all their sins. So that undeserving sinners might be welcomed into the Paradise of God forever.
How does Easter fit in? Well, the resurrection of Jesus proved Him to be all that He claimed to be: Messiah, King, Son of God, Son of Man … God in the flesh. The resurrection of Jesus is the means by which repentant sinners can stand justified before God and receive new life. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ were His victory over all the powers of darkness and over sin and death.
The resurrection of Messiah Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords, means you can trust Him to bring you home to the Father in heaven, surely, safely, and securely. Have you placed your faith in Him alone?
On Easter Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Messiah. Christians celebrate the Resurrection with great joy and heartfelt gratitude. It is a very, very special day. Will you join with the Body of Christ on that day to do precisely that? Worship at the Evangelical Church of Clinton on Easter Sunday, April 16, will be a platform, an avenue for us to corporately—in union with brothers and sisters in Christ—respond to God for His grace to us through Christ. Sunday worship gives us the opportunity to lift our voices and thoughts and hearts together in praise and thanksgiving to God the Father through God the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Without the Resurrection, the Christian faith would be a farce. Empty, bankrupt. The Apostle Paul makes this abundantly clear in 1 Corinthians 15:14, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” But Christ has been raised from the dead! (See 1 Corinthians 15:20, Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 15:1-5, plus many, many other passages). We serve a risen Savior!
We want others to know Savior Jesus, believe in Him, and trust Him. Holy Week is a strategic time to reach out to others with the good news of the death and resurrection of Christ. Because of the Christian influence that has been present in our culture for a couple of centuries, people are often more open going to church services during Holy Week. Some of the people you know may be inclined to say “Yes” to an invitation to church activities. Would you invite them?
On Good Friday evening, April 14, we will have “The Passion Walk.” The interior of our facilities will be transformed to provide a pathway with various stations where participants can get a feel for the last hours of Christ’s life. Don’t miss this great opportunity! Although we have done this for several years consecutively, each year has been modified to expand and improve the experience.
On Easter morning we will not have Life Groups. Instead we will have a breakfast served from 9:00-10:00. In between breakfast and worship at 10:30, we will have an indoor Resurrection-based Easter egg hunt for people of all ages. Following that, our service at 10:30 will be a special and meaningful time of worship. That, too, you do not want to miss.
We are intentionally reaching out into the neighborhood surrounding our church property to invite them to these two Holy Week activities. We want people to hear the good news of the death and resurrection of Jesus so that they might be saved. On April 2, right after morning worship, we will have a training lunch and then send out teams of people to place invitations on doorknobs. Plan now to be a part of that outreach!
You can read more about our April 2 outreach and Holy Week activities in this newsletter.
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed! Let’s rejoice and share the good news!!