From the Pastor

He is Risen!

I love spring! The colors, warmth, flowers, sunshine, ice cream, gardens, and so much more are reasons why I love this season so much! After the cold months of staring at my gardens, wondering what will come back, what was able to survive the cold, I am always joyfully surprised at what bursts through the ground come springtime!  Every year I am amazed at how these plants that look dead can be alive with color season after season. But maybe I should not be surprised at such an expected work. After all, this is the way the world works according to God’s design, since sin entered the world God has worked this pattern into His creation of bringing the dead to life.

Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved.”

This is the pattern that God works for those who are saved. The dead are made alive. We were those that were dead in our sins. Just like the plants, lying dead in the dirt through the winter months awaiting the sun of spring, we lay dead in our sin awaiting the light of the risen Son to shine in our hearts. The work of Christ for us is that which makes us alive, uniting us with Christ. Just as the sun of spring awakens dead plants and they come together to produce a beautiful garden, so the Son of God awakens dead people in order that they may come together, united with Christ, producing God’s beautiful Church!

This is God’s sole purpose, bringing the dead to life, forgiving sinners. Because of Christ’s resurrection, we know that we live with Him for all eternity, it will never end! We live now in the never-ending abundance of God’s grace that leads us to the fullness of an Eternal Home that God is preparing for us. That is our Easter Promise, that is the guarantee (Ephesians 1:13-14) of God’s work for us. There is no greater joy than knowing that this free gift of God is ours and no one can take it away from us!

We expect the spring flowers to bloom. Do you expect God to keep giving life to those dead in their sin? Be on the lookout this month, with springlike expectancy, for the Easter things that God will be doing.

Your forgiven brother in Christ,
Pastor Zach Sarrault