Ron Aulbach

Remember the ancient days.  The time before DVD’s and DVR’s.  Television programming wasn’t ‘on demand’ so you would gladly watch whatever programmers dictated.  Only one movie would cause my family to stop and gather around the tube as a sacred event. It only came on once a year, so we would drop everything for it. The Wizard of Oz.  The shrill voice of the wicked witch still haunts me.  Thirty years later and now my family owns the movie, and we rarely watch it. There was something that made it more memorable and desirable because it was only on once a year.  Scarcity will do that.

Easter feels that way. The anticipation of singing Easter songs and reading the story of the resurrection builds all year.  It’s kind of odd because we could read the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus anytime.  But there is something memorable and desirable because this is Easter.

“He is risen!”

“He is risen indeed!”

But, what if He hadn’t?

Churches would be empty.  Easter lily sales would plummet.  People would be hopeless.  Scarcity does that too.

“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.  More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead.” 1 Corinthians 15:14-15

See, the story isn’t just memorable because you’ve heard it so many times.  The resurrection is what’s holding it all together.  No resurrection, no faith. No faith, no testimony.  No testimony, and you’re a false witness for God.  Pastors in particular love this verse because it singles out their greatest desire: to preach!  Honestly, as a pastor, I worry about pastors that love to preach.  I don’t love to preach, in fact, the weight of it scares me.  It’s a great privilege, and a spiritual journey to study with God.  But it’s more like I ‘get to preach’ and that humbles me.  Fortunately the writer here isn’t using the the word ‘preach’ as a specific job function. The word translated preach means ‘to proclaim.’  That is, use words, drama, song, art, or video to share the life changing message of Jesus.  Everyone can do that. We need everyone to do that.  To proclaim that Jesus was raised from the dead.  There you have it, you’re a preacher, and you didn’t even know it!

It’s important we get this.  Jesus was raised, and the proclaiming of that message needs to be heard.  “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).   Your testimony is made stronger each day you persevere in this faith that Jesus died for.  The kingdom advances every time you share the message of His resurrection with someone else.

The resurrection does that.