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Celebrate: Easter Concert 2020


          And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. (Mark 16:6)

          Today’s the day we celebrate the most amazing, most critical event in all of history. Yeah, the creation itself was pretty spectacular, and it demonstrated God’s love. After all, He didn’t have to create the universe. The great flood, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah were pretty impressive. People squirm a little about those. They were destructive. Should we celebrate destruction? Good question. Do we celebrate the destruction of English colonial oppression over the United States? Do we celebrate the destruction of slavery? Do we celebrate the destruction of Hitler’s regime? I don’t know that it’s good to celebrate the destruction part. I have criticized those who celebrated the death of people like Osama bin Laden or Jeffrey Dahmer. It may have been a necessary, or even good thing to kill them, but I don’t think we should celebrate their deaths. But all of those destructive things led to victory for what is right and good, and we should celebrate the victory of what is right and good.
           And the victory over sin is the biggest, best, most important victory of all of them. This isn’t because it allows God to grant us salvation, as wonderful as that is. It is the biggest victory because it reveals God to be who and what He says He is. And it’s not just that God hit a home run with the miracle of Jesus rising from the dead. No, Babe Ruth gave us a little better idea of how great it was when he (at least according to the stories) pointed to where he was going to hit the ball, hit it there, and got a home run.
           It’s not just that God raised Jesus from the dead. Elijah and Elisha both raised people from the dead. Jesus raised at least three people (including Lazarus.) But God pointed through history – more than once.  There were prophecies made that would point to where God was going to hit his “home run.” And then He hit it. Victory. Destruction of the enemy. Not just an accident because we were told in advance. And God told us in advance that He would tell us in advance so that we could know that He had done it.
          There are those who deny that the world was created, or that the flood took place. There are those who want to deny that the resurrection happened. That is the other reason we must celebrate, because there are those who would return us to the dark days before the flood, to the abuses committed in Sodom and Gomorrah, to the pain of slavery, to the totalitarianism of their dictatorships. We must celebrate because our celebration is part of the victory that we are celebrating.
           May your Resurrection Day be joyous!
           And a special note on this Easter morning spent under the shadow of quarantine. Paul described our bodies as tents that we will someday put aside. So whether you’re sitting at home, participating in church via the Internet, or holding an in-home celebration, it’s no different from what you experience if you go to church. You are still separated from everyone else by a physical structure, your body. I know that’s hard to comprehend, but whether you’re separated by an inch to three feet of personal space, the depth of the clothing you’re wearing and your physical body, or you are separated by a few miles, or you’re half-way around the world from others who are celebrating, it’s the same. You are as much together half a world away as you are sitting next to someone in a pew.
More importantly – God isn’t quarantined. He is with you. So celebrate along with us, along with Him.

Easter Concert:

Hallelujah
Watch The Lamb (Ray Boltz) 
Were You There When They Crucified My Lord (Mahalia Jackson) 
Rise Again (Dallas Holm) 
Arise, My Love (Newsong)
Up From The Grave 
He Arose 
Was It A Morning Like This (Sandi Patti) 
Easter Song (Second Chapter Of Acts) 
He Is Risen (Mathew Maher) 
He's Alive (Don Francisco) 
Christ the Lord Is Risen Today (Steve Green)  
Hallelujah Chorus 
He Is Still Risen


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