Easter Sunday

Rev Jon Bergen

Seeley Lake Baptist Church

It has been of interest to me as the new kid on the block to read other’s Passages thoughts. The thoughts on Laments and the suffering of Christ echo where we should lead off in dealing with this Easter Season. Whilst Easter is a single day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the journey to the cross and the grave was anything but pleasing. The cry of Jesus in the garden is not to be missed or taken lightly as we hear the voice crying ‘take this cup from me’. But for us in our secular world this is truly becoming a strange thought that one would suffer as Christ did on our behalf.

Religion is quickly fading into an unknown space in our world. Christ chose to suffer on our behalf. As a Christian minister I find the message of the gospel to be what overcomes in my life the laments and suffering. It doesn’t remove it but rather it gives me strength and hope for the day to day living that is called life.

I would be remiss this week to not consider the wickedness of people in our world. Sadly, the list is too extensive to take time to list the individuals. The reality is that even those of us that think of ourselves as ‘good people’, we still have our moments of sin that offend the holiness of God. With it being Easter, we contemplate that sin is the reason for Christ having to suffer to pay the penalty for sin.

The focus can be on the depravity of mankind, but Easter reminds me there is a way of escape from the penalty that should apply to our lives. We are a people in need of hope in a dark day. The Apostle Peter wrote in his letters: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3–5)

Note a few key words in this text: Abundant, Mercy, Living, Hope, Resurrection, Inheritance, Incorruptible, Kept, and Salvation.

Our world doesn’t deserve mercy, but God gives it abundantly. Jesus said grace is available to “Whosoever will.” And in receiving that grace we are given a living hope, an eternal inheritance that overrides our deficiencies.

Scripture teaches that salvation is based on the work of Jesus Christ and His atonement on our behalf. The proof of Jesus being able to do so, is wrapped up in the phrase: “the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Where is your hope? I pray it is in finding the reality of a Happy Easter.