Good morning and a blessed Thursday morning to you. 

What a joyous celebration we had on Easter Sunday morning, proclaiming that Christ is indeed risen… that he is alive… that our sins are forgiven and the tomb is empty. I want to continue with that very good news, that wonderful new.

Hebrews 9:26-28

….he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. 

So Jesus came once as man; entering into humanity… entering into flesh to offer himself as a sacrifice. One sacrifice needed for sin. He removed sin through the sacrifice of himself. 

27 And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgement, 

28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

We know that Jesus is going to come again. We hear that promise in Scripture. He tells his disciples that he is with them to the end of the age, and will come again. So we know it's going to happen. When he comes the second time, it says “not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” 

Jesus’ last words on the cross before he breathed his last and gave up his spirit was, “It is finished.” The sacrifice for sin has been completed.  He dealt with our sin. That's done. When he comes again in glory, he comes not to deal with our sin. He's already done that. His time here on Earth was in order to deal with our sin. And that is why we rejoice so greatly in Easter, and in what Easter is for us. Easter is a wonderful celebration. And on Easter Sunday morning we have a wonderful time of worship. But we never stop living the Easter proclamation. We never stop living that joy, and that freedom, and that celebration that we have. 

So I hope that as we keep going through this Easter season, that time and time again you will come back to those wonderful words in all of the Gospel, that tell us of the empty tomb…. that tell us that he's not there.  Why would we seek the living among the dead? And my brothers and sisters, because he lives, we live. Because he lives we are no longer among the dead, but we are counted alive in Christ. That is not only good news. That is THE good news!  Your sin has been dealt with.  It's been dealt with by Jesus on the cross. And he rose triumphant over it.  The tomb is empty.  Your sin no longer reigns over you. You are free to live in the glory and the goodness of God himself.

Let’s pray. Lord, we thank you so much for being greater than we could ever imagine. We ask that you would keep the joy of Easter in our hearts; that you would keep the joy of Easter in our minds; and that you would keep the joy of Easter upon our lips, that we can proclaim of your goodness, your mercy, and your glory… that everyone we know… everyone we will meet will know that you are God indeed. You are King of kings and Lord of Lords. We thank you and we lift all of this to you in the awesome and praiseworthy name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

I cannot tell you how excited I am to get to worship with you once again as an Easter people… as redeemed people through the blood of Christ again this coming Sunday.

God bless!

Pastor Malinak