Easter

"Easter"

Sing, soul of mine, this day of days.

The Lord is risen.

Toward the sunrising set thy face.

The Lord is risen.

Behold He giveth strength and grace;

For darkness, light; for mourning, praise;

For sin, his holiness; for conflict, peace.

Arise, O soul, this Easter Day!

Forget the tomb of yesterday,

For thou from bondage art set free;

Thou sharest in His victory

And life eternal is for thee,

Because the Lord is risen.

Author Unknown, (Edward MacHugh's Treasury of Gospel Hymns and Poems, 1938)

   I treasure the collection of poems and clippings that my grandfather Carlton shared with my cousin, my brother and myself for our preaching ministry a few years ago before he passed away. This poem, that he used in his own ministry, speaks plainly to the Gospel call at Easter. Easter is about praise. Easter is is grounded in the reality of the resurrected Son of God. Easter offers the power to leave behind the past and be set free from that which binds us. Easter is the brilliant, beautiful, and perfectly-planned alternative to suffering and death that God offers to those who would believe.

   There is something to be said of being able to dust off an old poem and use it for a new day. The truth is that these truths remain. They are constant. Paul said when all else fails or falls away that faith, hope and love will remain. Easter is the very intersection of these three. 

   There is an sense in which each Easter, like each day, is to be treated as something new. Jeremiah declares the Lord's mercies "are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:23). Yet, there is also a part of me that believes the newness of that first Easter has never worn off. If it seems a distant memory, it is because we have forgotten. 

   This Easter, let us celebrate the truths that never fade away. Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. Grace and Peace to you, Scott