In many ways, the past two years have taken an undeniable toll. Our social interactions, supply chains, vocational attitudes, political perspectives, personal relationships, and overall emotional health have all been strained and stressed.

What about your spiritual condition? Have the past two years made a negative impact on the way you live out your relationship with God? Has your attitude toward worship, stewardship, and church life shifted? That’s definitely the case, for many people I know. Living out our faith, with so many question marks and uncertainties filling our lives daily, has not been easy. Keeping a healthy connection with God, and with the church, has been a serious challenge for many.

All of this leads me to say that Easter — especially this year — is going to be a tremendously important day. It’s not going to be just another typical Sunday, for followers of Jesus Christ. Nor is Easter worship this year going to be simply one more traditional family holiday.

The Easter festival is, in a multitude of ways, the highest expression of what we believe as Christians. The world’s strongest powers couldn’t defeat Christ, and on Easter our Lord won a spectacular victory that he shares with us. Even death could not hold Jesus down, and ultimately there is nothing that can ever sever our eternal connection with our loving God. Even though we live in a troubled, painful world, Easter is a day for us to celebrate confidently our faith and trust in our triumphant, unstoppable God. When we rejoice over the resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday with the family of God, we are giving public voice to our conviction that nothing in this world is greater or stronger than the God who watches over us, and who guards our lives.

The ancient Easter greeting that we use every year — “The Lord is risen. He is risen indeed!” — is a bold proclamation of our faith in Christ’s supreme power. Jesus says, “Because I live, you shall live also” (John 14:19). Speaking of Christ’s resurrection, St. Paul writes, “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). In other words, our Easter faith gives us courage and hope for every single day that we live on this earth, and into eternity. No matter what hurdles we face, or hardships we endure, Easter gives us the perfect assurance we need about the validity of our faith.

Do you need a spiritual boost like that? I do! Does your heart and soul need that kind of strengthening and reaffirmation? Mine does. Don’t you need that kind of a celebration day in your spiritual life? Easter is the day!

Even if you have been away for a while, please make every effort to join us at Hope for Easter worship in-person at 6:45 AM (outdoors), 8:00 AM, 9:30 AM, or 11:00 AM. Watch the live-stream, if you’re not able to be present, for any of the last three services, or watch a recording of the 8:00 AM service at any time after 10:00 AM.

I look forward to celebrating Easter with you. Especially this year!

In Christ,
Pastor Wayne Puls