Wonder At His Resurrection

​As we approach Easter in the year 2020, I think we would all agree that our day-to-day lives have been turned upside down. No sports; no dining out; no gathering with friends; and most upsetting, no assembling together with believers. We have tried our best to stay connected. Whether it is social media or Zoom meetings, it is just not the same. And yet, while all those things are troubling, I believe the most unsettling thing about this whole situation is the uncertainty of it all. We don’t know when this quarantine will be over, we can’t be sure of just how many people are becoming infected and sick, and most alarming to us all is the fact that many of these situations end in death. Like never before, Americans are being confronted with death in real time. Like a stock market ticker on any news feed in the world, you can find a graphic showing us the mortality rate of COVID-19. Is anyone like me and shutters when that number goes up knowing that that is not a statistic but a mom, dad, sister, or brother?
 
That being said, we know that for the human condition, the mortality rate is 100%. So today for believers, we hold firm to the living hope of the resurrection. The Lord continues to bring 1 Peter 1:3 to my mind in this time. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
 
I say to you today with certainty that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is absolutely the best-attested fact in ancient history. We can praise God just as the Psalmist does, “Blessed be the Lord, for He has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.” Our God relates to us as a father, and we should praise Him for that. What a helpful salve for broken hearts in this time of uncertainty and fear. God brought about a new birth through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Our hope is living through the power of this resurrection. God has secured new spiritual life through this resurrection. We now have a renewed relationship with the Almighty God. This side of heaven I don’t think we will understand what that fully means, but God’s Word tells us that it lasts forever, it is without stain, and it will never be diminished. Today let us wonder at our living hope that comes from a living, resurrected Christ!