Because He lives.
There is a chorus which goes, “because He lives, I can face tomorrow, because He lives, all fear is gone; because I know He holds the future and life is worth the living just because He lives”.
How true that is. Because He lives everything is different, everything possible.
Yet the resurrection appearances of Jesus were totally unexpected. There was no precedent for what took place, and no expectation that it would do so now. Walking on water, loaves and fishes, water into wine, were all powerful miracles, but nothing could compare with this. To rise from the dead is to confound the laws of science and defy the certainty of death having the final say.
It is little wonder that people scoff. It is also little wonder that this became the driving force of the mission of the new-born church. Without the resurrection the whole life of Jesus would have been relegated to historical interest only.
Resurrection hope still drives us today. Our vision at St Luke’s is to be “transforming the community with hope”. Hope is often a scarce commodity, yet the resurrection brings personal hope, and personal hope leads to positive change in our lives and in our culture.
As we encounter the risen Jesus, our eyes are opened to see as we have never seen before. The love of God is exposed in all its wonder – and God’s gracious invitation for us to share that resurrection life, that hope when all seems lost.
Paul prays for us that we may live in the same power that brought Jesus to life: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 1:18-20).
At St Luke’s we want to help each other live in the light of the resurrection. We want to live with hope, with joy and with love. It is an on-going journey we make and commitment we take.
We welcome you to St Luke’s and invite you to journey with us as God’s people.
Because He lives.