The Joy of Easter
Dear COAH,
The resurrection of Jesus Christ comes as a ray of light in a bleak world filled with war news. In a world of rampant evil, the Lord's resurrection is our trustworthy source of hope. The Lord has risen, and so we remember and celebrate His resurrection.
The horrific terrorist act by the ISIS-K group on March 22 at a theater in Moscow once again demonstrated the extent of evil in this world. After two years of invading Ukraine and keeping the Western world in a state of tension and fear, Russian President Vladimir Putin found himself the target of terrorism this time around. As we watch the ISIS terrorist group vowing to exact revenge against Russia, we wonder how much more terrifying ISIS can be. What a complex and perturbing world we live in. This summer, we have the Paris Olympics to look forward to, and all hands are on deck as far as ensuring the safety and security of the global festival from the ill will and actions of ISIS is concerned.
In a world that's so disorienting, where do we, as believers, put our hope? I don't know of any event other than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That's where we should put our total trust and confidence. Yes, He defeated the power of death and was raised from the dead, and yes, He has promised resurrection to those of us who believe in Him.
When I went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land many years ago, I visited the Garden Tomb, the supposed Empty Tomb of Jesus, and it struck me that there is a reasonable probability that the Lord's body once lay in that empty tomb. Since the fourth century, however, Christians have considered the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as the original site of Jesus' tomb, not the Garden Tomb. I will never know which place the actual site of Calvary is. But I know Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead. Death did not stop Jesus, and his resurrection means everything to us. Let us share the joy of Easter and remind ourselves that only Jesus is the eternal hope we have. Happy Easter!
Blessings,
Pastor Minho Song