Resurrection Sunday has come and gone…or has it? Our celebration of the resurrection of Jesus is not some kind of “conclusion” to the life of Christ. For the disciples who followed Jesus, the Resurrection was just the beginning of their new life. Jesus clearly instructed them to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit and to live as witnesses to the truth that “He is Lord.” So, what does this mean for us? As Christians, we find our identity in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our life “parallels” the life of Christ. Just as He lived by the power of the Spirit, so, we are to depend on the Holy Spirit. Just as He endured sufferings by God’s power, so, we persevere. Just as He was received into glory, so, one day we will enter His glorious kingdom…never to depart. The Apostle Paul described this identification with Christ in the Book of Philippians: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus” (3:10-12). For Paul, the resurrection of Jesus was not a past event. He yearned to know Christ today in the “power” of His resurrection. Easter Sunday, then, is a celebration of the life we have in Christ. This life continues each day because we live “in Christ.” There will be days when life seems hard, and we must struggle through. Paul describes these times as “the fellowship of his sufferings” which are also part of living resurrected lives in a sinful, fallen world. Take heart. The resurrection of Jesus assures us that all power and authority are in Jesus (Matthew 28:18). We walk each day in His resurrection power…until we take our last step into His everlasting kingdom! Because He lives, we shall live also!

Pastor Mark Boucher