EASTER FAITH ~ WHAT IS IT?

Now that we have celebrated another Easter Sunday and are back into the grind of life, what now? Is Easter Over? Did Easter make a difference in your life?
Well, it is up to us as to how we respond to Easter. Will we allow Easter to change us? The disciples did not have to do anything after they encountered the risen Christ. They too could have just returned to life as normal, but you know what--everyone who has truly encountered Christ is changed and cannot go back to the way it was before. As we read in the introduction to Acts “They aren’t the same men. Oh I know they look like it….. The ones who argued in Capernaum? The ones who ran for their lives in Gethsemane?.... They are different. Within them dwells a fire not found on earth. Christ has taught them. The Father has forgiven them. The Spirit dwells in them.”
Oh, they will continue to live the physical life that they have, but they will live it a new way. We are called to share our risen faith with those around us. We are called to allow Christ’s risen presence to live in us. The way that we approach our daily lives will be different. Christ is alive! He has truly risen. What we do with the miracle that was given to us on Easter, is up to us. Christ has called each one of us to share this joy with the world. It means that I have been loved enough to change me. Easter is not over and for the Christian it is never over. Easter will continue to live in and through me. We can go out every day and share Christ’s risen love in what I do and say. I can show the world what it means to have a God that loves me enough to die and rise again. I can show the world that death is not to be feared, but that we know that life and love exist beyond the grave.
So Easter faith is something that we get to share with the world. It is a chance to partake in the wonderful work that Christ has done for us. He has done the work and we get to share it with every- one. We, like the disciples have been called to share our faith in the place that God has planted us using the gifts and talents that He has given to us. In every day and every situation God is showing us how to live with Him and for Him. Easter calls us outside of ourselves and into a world that is hungry for God’s love.
As we watch the spring come alive and all the plants and flowers begin to blossom and grow, may each one of us blossom and grow in our faith and love for Christ and one another. Easter is a blessing and a commissioning for each of us. May we, like the disciples carry the faith to the ends of the earth.
With the Lord’s richest blessings,
Rev. Stephen W. Barch

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