An Easter Message from Bishop Bill

“I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18)

This morning we once again proclaim with joy and excitement: “Alleluia. Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!” That is the Easter message.

When Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early on that first Easter morning, she went with a heavy heart, expecting to find the dead body of her Lord Jesus Christ. Instead, she found an empty tomb. What was she to make of it? Three days earlier, she watched Jesus die right in front of her, hanging on a cross. Grief stricken, all she could imagine was that someone must have stolen His body – failing to remember the words of Jesus when He told the disciples not only of His coming death, but also of His resurrection on the third day: “We are going to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day He will be raised to life!” (Matthew 20:18-19)

It wasn’t until Jesus appeared and spoke to Mary calling her by name (while she stood weeping at His empty tomb), that she was finally able to hear Jesus and believe that He had risen from the dead and was alive. Filled with joy and excitement, Mary Magdalene went to the disciples and said, “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18)

Jesus had indeed risen from the dead, conquering the power of sin and death, paving the way for Mary Magdalene and you and me and all who believe in Him and follow Him as Lord and Savior to have eternal life as inheritors of God’s heavenly kingdom. Mary couldn’t help but go and share the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection with the others. What about you? Who will you be sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with today?

Tragically, there are countless people all around us who see the Easter Message as nothing more than a joke, an “April Fool’s joke.” The thought of the dead coming back to life after three days is too much to believe. The problem is – they have not yet met the risen Lord Jesus Christ; the One who loves them more than they could ever imagine; the One who can help them through all the trials and tribulations and sorrows of life; the One for whom nothing is impossible. The Lord is calling each of us to help make those introductions. Their lives and our lives will never be the same. Happy Easter! “Alleluia, Christ has risen! The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!”

In Christ’s Love,

+Bill