This Sunday we will focus on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Resurrection Sunday is the most incredible day of the year. We will be in Luke 23:44-46 and Luke 24:1-12. The passage in Luke 23 tells us about the final moments before Jesus died. The passage in Luke 24 tells us what happened on Resurrection Sunday. Why did Jesus have to die such a bloody and gruesome death? This question has been put to me over the years. Couldn’t there be a simpler way of saving and restoring lost humanity? It is an important question. If you have been in church all your life maybe you merely assume everybody understands God’s redemptive plan to save us from our self-destructive sin nature. This discussion points us to the nature of “atonement”. When there is a relational breakdown between people due to some offense effort has to be put into the severed relationship to bring restoration. Counselors and psychologists call this “rupture and repair”. When people are hurt by the actions of another there must be relational repair work to mend the rupture. Jesus died in our place. Jesus was the atoning sacrifice that “repaired” the rupture between God and lost humanity. This is a marvelous picture of the gracious nature of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The entire scope of the redemptive work of Jesus spans his incarnation, his death, his resurrection and his ascension back to the Father in heaven. On Sunday we will put the death of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus side by side and learn more about his atoning sacrifice and resurrection life.
God Bless You
Pastor Drew
