Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday are days remembering the apex of Christianity, when divine love was expressed through Christ’s sacrifice and victory is expressed in Christ’s resurrection. These two days confirm Jesus’s divinity and have brought millions hope and spiritual rebirth. CLA taps into this through our Easter worship, water baptisms, fellowship and story telling affirming that “Jesus Christ continues to write a new story” in each of our lives. Come join us – and bring someone with you!
Good Friday often brings many churches together in an act of unity, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. This is not simply a tragic death but is the moment when God placed the sin of the world upon His Son, offering Him up as a sin sacrifice for the emancipation of humanity. What love and obedience! John Stott writes; “Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us”. Our sin, rebellion and alienation from God was why Jesus died. All of us have “sinned and gone astray”. We are complicit in the need for the cross and we are recipients of its grace. Holding the communion elements on Good Friday is a powerful reminder of Christ’s passion, His broken body and blood shed for us. Eugene Peterson says, “The cross is the centerpiece of the Christian faith, not just something that happened once to Jesus, but the life we are called to live.” Now we too walk in humility and surrender our lives to Jesus as LORD.
Easter Sunday, at CLA and around the world, celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, affirming His victory over sin, death, and the powers of evil. Satan’s dominion is broken, now with more to come. This is the cornerstone of Christian hope – life is possible beyond the darkest night, the deepest sorrow and even death itself. Again, John Stott writes of the resurrection’s central role in the Christian message; “The resurrection is God’s decisive demonstration that He had not been overwhelmed by the evil, but has conquered it.” This power to overcome evil with good is the ongoing mission of every Christian believer. It’s why we sing, why we GO and why I invite you to the upcoming Transformation weekend.
I pray this weekend, which encapsulates the Gospel, brings you both joy and peace. Death brings life, loss leads to victory, and sorrow ends in joy. May this usher us into hope and renewal.
I hope you can stay for fellowship after our Sunday services, a great time to meet people. We will offer pancakes on the patio, in the café and at the back foyer for everyone.
