“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance; that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve” (1 Corinthians 15:3-5).
Last Sunday was Easter, but it was different because we were not free to worship in our church buildings as we normally would. I went to drive-in church. That experience reminded me of the movie, “Cars” and made me wish the bumper of my Encore could smile and my mirrors could wave in the excitement of being (somewhat) in the presence of other Christians. I was blessed to see the smiles of others parked closest to me as we listened over our radios to the songs of praise, joining in with the recorded music.
Our preacher proclaimed the gospel from the rooftop-literally! (see Matthew 10:27) He used I Corinthians 15:1-6 to show the four parts of the gospel: The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus followed by many witnesses of the resurrected Jesus. Referring to Romans 5 and 6 he went on to explain how we participate in the gospel and are saved.
A believer is baptized, dying to sin, buried in water, and raised up to walk a new life in Christ as a witness for what Christ has done. That’s Easter! Christ died to pay the penalty for our sin, but three days later He rose from death to live forever. We can receive the gift of eternal life by participating in His death, burial, and resurrection. What a gift! Spread the word!
So, Monday, after the blessings of Sunday, I woke up to no power. I am thankful for a generator that started so I could have my coffee and a hot breakfast. A generator is a blessing, too. And my brother was a blessing when he filled the fuel tank for running it.
I’m trying to look for blessings during these days at home and to remember to praise God for them. At the same time I’m praying for those in authority to begin opening our country for business again. It’s time!