Over the past two weeks, since I’ve communicated with the church family through three church-wide emails, I decided to postpone the blogging until now. So here we are on Good Friday, looking out at a beautiful cool sunny Spring day, eagerly anticipating celebrating the Lord’s Supper tonight and the resurrection on Sunday. I’m sure every pastor would confess to an annual struggle with just exactly what to preach on such special holidays, especially as these holidays focus on such specific truths. In one sense there are only so many ways you can tell the story of the cross and the resurrection. If it wasn’t for the eternal grandeur of these indescribably glorious truths, if it wasn’t for their absolutely and ultimately essential nature for time and eternity, it might be difficult to get excited about it. So, that’s why I still “love to tell the story”.

One familiar resurrection truth in I Corinthians 15 that has remained on my mind this season is found in vs. 19. I deferred from preaching on it this year for the sake of variety, but it has come to mind often. “If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” This last phrase is translated a few different ways in various translations, such as…KJV, “we are of all men most miserable.” …NIV, “we are to be pitied more than all men.” …and the NLT, “we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.” The words vary a bit, but the meaning is the same…without the resurrection all is lost, all is empty, there is no purpose, there is no hope, none for anyone, anytime, anywhere. How glorious then is vs. 20, “But in fact Christ has been raised form the dead,”. So, there really is living confident hope. There is real, divine, invincible purpose…because He lives.

See you tonight and Sunday, Lord willing,

In Him,

P. Tim