A Word from the Congregational Church
Hello Eastford!
It is springtime – that time of the year when the days lengthen, the sun strengthens, and everything awakens from a winter of slumber. We have already had some days when spring fever ignites.
It is also the time of year when Christians celebrate Easter. The holiday marks the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, the event that is the centerpiece of the Christian faith. We believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He came to earth and lived the perfect life none of us ever could, then laid that life down on a cross to pay our penalty for our sins a penalty that includes our own death. That was on a Friday.
Then, with a profound display of God’s power, Jesus came back to life on Sunday morning. His promise to us all is that if we put our trust in Him, His death wipes our sin account clean, and we are given a new life, one that is eternal and is defined by Jesus’ love and life instead of our troubled past and future failures. Jesus also promises us that one day we too will rise from death into a new, perfect and immortal body. His own resurrection is both proof and a picture of that life to come. This is the hope of the Christian – and is why we have good reason to celebrate Easter.
As I write this in mid-March, the ground is bare, last year’s grass is brown and the deciduous trees appear dead and lifeless. But you and I expect – and know – that in this season life will return. I noticed crocuses in bloom in front of the Town Office on March 11. That dead grass will turn lush green, and the leaves on the trees will come out. The new life of spring is certain. And so is new life in Jesus – for those who have turned to Him and put the faith, their trust, their very lives into His hands.
When I stand aside a grave with a family as they say goodbye to a loved one who has passed, we talk about this reality. Life in the flesh is short, but life in Jesus is forever. And I ask people – with the brown dead grass and bare trees in view, do we expect new life to come with the spring? The answer is “Of course!” And when I look at the brokenness of human life, at my own life as I get older, and think about lost loved ones (I just lost both of my older siblings in recent weeks) I ask the same question. “Do I expect there will be new life to come?” And the answer is the same, “With Jesus, of course!”
And here is a remarkable truth about this new life in Jesus. It is free for the asking.
If your interest in new life in Jesus is piqued, or you would like to know more, I hope you might check us out any Sunday, or contact me directly and we can chat, or join us this Easter (or at Eastford Baptist). The two churches will gather to worship together on Good Friday, April 18, at 7 p.m., at Eastford Baptist. And then both churches will have celebration services Easter Sunday, April 20, both at sunrise (6 a.m.) and later in the morning (CCE at 10, EBC at 10:30 a.m.).
Join us and celebrate the fact that Jesus is risen – the very best news ever!