O God,
who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son
to the death of the cross,
and by his glorious resurrection
delivered us from the power of our enemy:
Grant us so to die daily to sin,
that we may evermore live
with him in the joy of his resurrection;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
I believe Easter to be the most important of the Christian holidays, because upon the Resurrection of Christ rests all the tenets of Christianity. If Christ did not raise from the dead, then he was born, lived, and died, as a man, and not as God Incarnate. If He did not come back to life, then He did not conquer Hell and hold the keys of Hell in His possession. Greatly simplified, but yet true: If He does not live, then we cannot.
Today is Easter, or Pascha for those who may appreciate liturgy. It is the end of the 40 day season of Lent, and the beginning of the season of Easter. A time of great rejoicing and celebration! A time to remember that He is no longer on the Cross, but rather He has risen (He has risen indeed!).
I opened this entry with the Anglican collect for Easter. It is relatively short, but contains so much we need to remember for this amazing celebration. We cry out to God, our Sovereign Father who has made this possible. We remember that God's purpose and gift, that is offered to us, is redemption, made possible though the shedding of innocent blood. This is due to the Old Testament laws, where the forgiveness of sins is only made possible through blood. The only possible way to redeem humanity was unblemished perfection as a a sacrifice. Christ.
And, through His triumph over sin, over the powers of Hell, delivers and justifies us. The doctrine of justification- our new verdict, when our lives are not judged on the merits of our own sins and righteousness, but upon those of our Savior. Our enemy is two-fold, our own sin nature which before we were enslaved to, and the power of the devil to whom we were in bondage before being freed.
Our response should then be to live, now that we have been truly given life. We are no longer a being who is held captive to our human desires and our passions. Christ finished and conquered sin. It is no longer our chief desire or our aim. This then, should be our calling, our desire to live! To live with joy! An exhilarating freedom, because He is no longer on the cross. He has made the payment, once and for all. He is alive, and in Heaven reigning with the Father and the Holy Spirit, the blessed Trinity.
Praise be to Him on high. Live with purpose, joy, thankfulness, confidence: your life has been bought at a price, and, my fellow Christians, you are free.
who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son
to the death of the cross,
and by his glorious resurrection
delivered us from the power of our enemy:
Grant us so to die daily to sin,
that we may evermore live
with him in the joy of his resurrection;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
I believe Easter to be the most important of the Christian holidays, because upon the Resurrection of Christ rests all the tenets of Christianity. If Christ did not raise from the dead, then he was born, lived, and died, as a man, and not as God Incarnate. If He did not come back to life, then He did not conquer Hell and hold the keys of Hell in His possession. Greatly simplified, but yet true: If He does not live, then we cannot.
Today is Easter, or Pascha for those who may appreciate liturgy. It is the end of the 40 day season of Lent, and the beginning of the season of Easter. A time of great rejoicing and celebration! A time to remember that He is no longer on the Cross, but rather He has risen (He has risen indeed!).
Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,
2so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 1 Peter 4:1-2
I opened this entry with the Anglican collect for Easter. It is relatively short, but contains so much we need to remember for this amazing celebration. We cry out to God, our Sovereign Father who has made this possible. We remember that God's purpose and gift, that is offered to us, is redemption, made possible though the shedding of innocent blood. This is due to the Old Testament laws, where the forgiveness of sins is only made possible through blood. The only possible way to redeem humanity was unblemished perfection as a a sacrifice. Christ.
And, through His triumph over sin, over the powers of Hell, delivers and justifies us. The doctrine of justification- our new verdict, when our lives are not judged on the merits of our own sins and righteousness, but upon those of our Savior. Our enemy is two-fold, our own sin nature which before we were enslaved to, and the power of the devil to whom we were in bondage before being freed.
Our response should then be to live, now that we have been truly given life. We are no longer a being who is held captive to our human desires and our passions. Christ finished and conquered sin. It is no longer our chief desire or our aim. This then, should be our calling, our desire to live! To live with joy! An exhilarating freedom, because He is no longer on the cross. He has made the payment, once and for all. He is alive, and in Heaven reigning with the Father and the Holy Spirit, the blessed Trinity.
Praise be to Him on high. Live with purpose, joy, thankfulness, confidence: your life has been bought at a price, and, my fellow Christians, you are free.
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