Praise the Lord for this glorious season. He has blessed
us with summer like days during Spring. I drove yesterday to a
nearby city, our county seat, visiting. I was on the Interstate which
studded with flowering bushes and trees, beautiful beyond belief. The
surrounding hills and mountains were beaming with the beauty and splendor of
Spring. The Interstate is decorated along the way with endless patches of
daffodils. You can feel the imminence of the peace and joy of the
Lord all around. I drove one city streets that were also decorated
with spring flowers. We lived in this city in 1978 when our oldest Janice was
just one year old. I drove along, reminiscing about our days and
our lives almost 40 years ago. Praise the Lord for His steadfast
love and faithfulness. Coming back home I took a very scenic route, full
of farms, gardens, and country dwellings. I drove through a very
lovely area in which I felt as though I was being transported to
Switzerland Ski resorts - I was driving past Greek Peak Ski Resort, located
just few miles from where we live. As I drove my heart was refreshed by
the Lord and my cup was overflowing. Later, Alice I walked in
the late afternoon. The village green is looking greener, and
young people were frequenting the soccer fields and the town park. Praise the
Lord for the great outdoors.
As I drove along I passed the campus of Cortland State University, where my wife had one of her first jobs. How the campus has expanded! It is surrounded by new shopping centers and eateries. I was reminded of a young man who I have known for many years. He had less than a stellar academic career in high school, and had the goal of becoming a Physical Education teacher. While in college at Cortland,one professor saw his potential, and helped him to get excited about learning, and particularly about the sciences. He did so well afterward that he was accepted into Harvard University Medical School. He is the founder of the Eden Alternative, which introduced pets into nursing homes, to give the residents a living focus. I had the privilege of officiating his wedding.
During this glorious season of Easter I continue to ponder and reflect on the mystery, wonder and the reality of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Recent archeological expeditions have unearthed surprising finds of families buried together in ancient cemeteries, side by side, destroying older ideas about Neanderthals in Europe. Now, we understand they had the same questions about death and the hereafter we do. No doubt, an ancient human figure from the mountains of Europe held a dying child in his arms, looking up into the heavens, seeing the signs of life, death and rebirth all about him in nature, and asking himself, “What about this child? Will I see him again?” The glorious Good News from the graveyard is that Jesus has risen from the grave. He has overcome the dread of the grave. He has triumphed over the dark tomb, our ancient despair. With his resurrection he has given us eternal hope and a glorious future. This new world order is now here and underway. It is not a new world order that is based on politics, finance, or international relations. It is, instead, greater than all those and greater than all the kingdoms that have ever been or ever will be. It is a gospel conspiracy that is taking over the earth through love and grace. It is consuming the earth one person at a time, and as of today, approximately 200,000 people a day are confessing Jesus Christ as Lord.
St. Paul said, “As in Adam all die, in Christ shall all be made alive.” "All" includes all humanity. We are all sons and daughters of Adam. We all die because we are Adam's children carrying the virus of his sin. Sin produces death, but all who turn to Jesus Christ through repentance and faith will receive resurrection life. They will be made alive.
Scripture teaches that when we receive Jesus as Lord, we pass from death to life. We are liberated from judgment. At death, we pass immediately into the presence of the Lord by the righteous life and sacrificial death of Jesus. At the second coming of Jesus Christ, our bodies will rise again from the grave, complete in a new heaven and a new earth. The old enemy, death, has been dealt a great blow and is on its way to terminal defeat. The psalmist argued that in Sheol no one could praise God, yet, in the Book of Revelation, we see the saints praising the Lamb, Jesus Christ, gathered at the throne of God! Something has happened, and that something is the resurrection of Jesus. This is why the Bible says, “Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His saints.” This is why St. Paul concluded his magnum opus on the resurrection with his unforgettable line, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).
Because of Christ and His resurrection, everything has changed. Because of Christ and His resurrection, we are changed. . . transformed. We have a new life, eternal life, and are bound to the eternal city.
In Christ,
Brown
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