April 2024
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid…’ –Matthew 28:10
The women at the empty tomb were filled with fear from what they experienced that first Easter morning. The angel at the tomb and later Jesus himself told them to not be afraid. Why? Quite simply, because there was nothing to be afraid of. Death was conquered. Christ was risen. The victory was won! Those who believe in Him have nothing to fear.
Don’t be afraid. Rather live a new life in Christ. Paul exhorts us in Colossians 3:1-3: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set you minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” If you have been caught up in the magnificent Easter conquest of the power of death, then focus your life on the One who can keep you from living and dying in fear.
In the risen Christ is freedom from debilitating fear. We have nothing to be afraid of because we have already died and been given new life in Christ. The risen Christ makes it possible to get beyond pointless grasping at life on our own. We don’t have to be hoodwinked into thinking that if we can just get that new thing or situation or circumstance in life we will really be alive, we’ll really have it made. When we think this way, we set ourselves up to live in fear—fear of not getting it or losing it once we do. This old grasping frightened self doesn’t need to be any more. We are alive now in Christ. No one can take that away from us.
The meaning of the resurrection for us, then, is that Christ is now our life. That’s saying a lot. Without Him, there is no life for us because we know that without Him there is nothing but fear and death. In Christ alone is the glory and the radiance, the coming forth of the new person, the new Adam or Eve. The circle is completed and all we have to do is allow it to be complete in our lives. We might think all the way back to the sin in the Garden of Eden or just to the last time in our lives when things seemed to fall apart. Because of the risen Christ, that is not the final word. Because of His resurrection, the cut off from fear and despair is precise and deliberate. Satan has had his day. The enemy has been faced head on. The strife is over. The battle is won. We have meaning. We have purpose. We have life.
“Don’t be afraid.” Next time you feel afraid, remember these words to you from the risen Lord Jesus. He will guide and, when necessary, carry you though all the challenges you face. You have faced serious challenges this last year as a congregation. I have been privileged to watch you face them head on and keep focused on your mission to “Spread the Good News, Serve those in need, and Share the victory of Jesus Christ throughout the world”. I will be in prayer for you as you, hopefully soon, welcome a new pastor and continue in your life of service beyond fear in the risen Lord Jesus. He is risen Indeed! Alleluia!
Spreading, Serving, and Sharing with You, Pastor Carl