He Lives!

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! (Romans 5:9-10)

When we were children, my sister closest to me and I would get up very early on Easter morning, go outside and find the perfect spot to watch the sun come up. We were told that if you pay close attention on Easter morning, you can actually see the sun shout, celebrating the risen savior! Of course as we took in this miraculous occurrence, we didn't realize that the very act of training our eyes so closely to the rising sun produces a natural optical effect that makes it appear as if the sun were slightly moving up and down. Moreover, thank goodness our naivete didn't render us blind! Nevertheless, the idea of shouting on Easter Sunday morning is not something too unfamiliar to those of us as CMEs growing up in the south. They used to do a lot of shouting back then. But why? If Jesus had not risen from the grave, what hope would men and women have? Death would be an empty void, a terrifying prospect. Life would be without meaning. Paul reminds us in the fifth chapter of Romans that Christ, through his dying, has brought us back into reconciliation with God. Thus it seems Paul is saying that indeed while there might be sufficient value for our salvation in his dying alone, how much greater off are we through the fact that he lives! That is something to shout about on this Easter Day. May the blessings of Easter be with you today and always, and may we always remember there is much to shout about.