“But God raised Him up, having freed Him from death because it was impossible for him to be held in its power”
Acts 2:24
The clock on the wall read that it was a little after 3 in the afternoon. I felt my eyelids get heavy, most likely from staying up too late the night before working on a paper due later that week. I couldn’t wait for this Monday afternoon class to be over.
But it was on this particular afternoon, during my first year of college, that my Intro to Theology professor suddenly asked our class a question that has stayed with me for over a decade.
“Can any of you tell me why Jesus’ resurrection matters? And why should anyone care that one man supposedly came back to life?
After he asked this question, the energy shifted in our classroom. You could tell that all of us were stirring from our afternoon energy crash as we began to consider our professor’s thought-provoking question. I wracked my mind going over youth group lessons and sermons that I heard, but I realized that I hadn’t the faintest notion of how to answer his question. In fact, I couldn’t recall Jesus’ resurrection ever being mentioned outside of Easter messages that I had heard in years past.
Saints, can I share a secret with you?
I don’t think we do the best job in churches explaining or exploring what Jesus’ resurrection means. Please don’t get the wrong idea; we certainly do a great job celebrating Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday. But too often, we stop there without considering why it matters that Jesus rose from the dead.
Friends, I’m excited to announce that this Sunday, we are starting a 6-week sermon series called “Living Hope,” where we’re going to unpack why Jesus’ resurrection matters and why the message of Christ Risen is still needed in today’s world.
But in the meantime, and in preparation for Sunday, I want to invite you to consider these questions:
1. What are the messages that you’ve been told or heard about Jesus’ resurrection over the years?
2. Why does it matter to you that Jesus rose from the dead? What difference does that make in your life?
Faith in Action: Local Church Partnership
On May 15th, four churches in Flemington are coming together for a fellowship luncheon, and then will all go out in the community to do several service projects. During that day, we will meet on the Flemington Presbyterian lawn at 12:30 for a luncheon. Afterward, at 1:15, everyone will break up into different service groups. Some will be held at the Presbyterian Church, and others will be off-site.
To see what service projects there will be, you can click on this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0d4cafac29aa8-faith All participants are asked to sign up (you can sign up by clicking on the above link and selecting which project to do).
As a way of honoring the birth of Pastor Chris’ daughter, our church will be focusing on gathering diapers and hygiene kits for families with newborns who need some extra assistance.
There will be a box in the back of the sanctuary where you can drop off size 4,5,6 or pull-up diapers. We are also asking for baby shampoo, baby bathwash, baby brushes, combs, toothbrushes, paste, baby lotion, or baby nail clippers.
Volunteers for Coffee Hour
We are looking to resume coffee hour in the near future. However, we need more volunteers to make this happen! Should you be interested in helping out, please connect with Grace Espeut.
Christ Crucified & Christ Risen