• Home
    • Easter Reading Schedule
    • Protocols
    • Ways to Give
  • Prayer Corner
    • Share a Request
    • Memorial Tribute >
      • Edna Kirby
      • Norman Hunter
      • Ina Rottier
      • Dennis Brommeland
      • Norris Thompson
      • Irv Wood
      • Ann Vander Kooi
      • Jack Demorest
      • Yde Vander Kooi
      • Ainsley Rose Wollf
      • Dick Mayer
      • David Rusnell
      • Bob McKay
      • Guy Deschatelets
      • Chloe Kroeger
      • Ida Barisoff
      • Gerard Zandee
      • Nick Dikur
  • About Valley
    • Annual Reports >
      • 2020 Annual Report
      • 2019 Annual Report
      • 2018 Annual Report
      • 2017 Annual Report
      • 2016 Annual Report
      • 2015 Annual Report
    • Who We Are
    • What We Believe
    • How We Are Governed >
      • Constitution & Bylaws
    • Where We Are Going
  • Ministries
    • Leadership Team >
      • Nomination Committee
      • Benevolent Ministry
    • Finance and Property >
      • 2020 Budget
      • Current Quarterly Report
      • Guidelines for Use of Building
    • Missions >
      • Missions Guidelines
      • Valley Missions Newsletter
    • Caring and Connecting
    • Christian Education >
      • Library
    • Worship >
      • Heritage House
  • What's Happening
    • Bulletin
    • Links
  • Photos
    • 30th Anniversary
    • Annual Celebration >
      • 2020
      • 2019
      • 2018
      • 2017
      • 2016
      • 2015
      • 2014
      • 2013
      • 2012
      • 2011
      • 2010
    • 25th Anniversary
    • Follow the Duck 2014
    • Follow the Crown 2013
    • Mexico 2013
    • "The Bridge"
    • 20th Anniversary
  • Messages
    • Archived Messages 2021
    • Archived Messages 2020
    • Archived Messages 2019
    • Archived Messages 2018
    • Archived Messages 2017
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
    • Directions
    • Directory >
      • Membership List
      • How To Become A Member
      • Guidelines for Responsible Members
VALLEY CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

Reflections on the Empty Tomb

3/22/2018

0 Comments

 
The events of Good Friday are the most heart-wrenching injustice in human history.  To think about the brutal, horrific nature of Christ’s death and to understand that He willing laid down His life to pay the penalty of your sin and mine, should move us to a place of deep humility and gratitude as we realize, He did that for me.  How awful it must have been in those days between the crucifixion and resurrection morning. 
 
But then, early in the early morning hours of the first day of the week, as the women went to the tomb, the message was proclaimed:  He is not here; he has risen!  (Luke 24:6)  Reflect for a few moments on the mystery, wonder and beauty, the hope and joy of the resurrection, and the significance of the truth of this historical event.
 
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:17…if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, it’s incomplete, of no real value.  If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.  BUT, Christ has…been raised from the dead! (20)
 
Dr. Billy Graham is quoted as saying: If I were an enemy of Christianity, I would aim right at the resurrection, because that is the heart of Christianity.
 
The authenticity of the resurrection matters, because the Bible declares it to be true, and the Bible is our source of truth and faith.  If the Scriptures are wrong on this point, they become altogether unreliable.  Paul reminds the believers in Corinth, For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.  (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
 
Let there be no confusion on this point, everything in the Gospels, everything in the book of Acts, everything in the Epistles stands in perfect harmony on this point, Jesus Christ died and then was raised from the dead.  And it matters; it matters because it authenticates the truth of the Bible; the account of the empty tomb validates the stories of those who encountered the risen Lord.
 
The truth of the resurrection is essential to our doctrine and our faith, but the implications of this truth are more than just theological in nature.  There are profound implications regarding our understanding of death and the afterlife.
 
When we stand at the graveside of a loved one, it’s very easy to feel overwhelmed; it’s not unusual to wonder if we will ever see them again.  In the early church some believers faced this very human struggle.  The Apostle Paul addresses this concern in his first letter to the Corinthians by reminding his readers that their confidence, their hope rested on whether or not Jesus was raised from the dead.
 
It’s interesting; Paul does not rebuke these believers for their doubts and fears.  Nor does offer any ‘proof’ of the resurrection.  He simply states it as a fact…that Christ died…that he was buried, that he was raised on the third…(1 Corinthians 15:3-4).  He points them back to the empty tomb and says, ‘remember, God raised His Son from the grave’!

Everything hinges on whether or not it’s true, on whether or not you believe it to be true.  To drive home his point, he argues, what if Jesus has not been raised from the dead?  If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.  (17-19)
 
It all hangs on that little word “if…If Christ has not been raised… (17).  But, what if it is true?  Look again at the authoritative truth of the Holy Scriptures:  Christ has indeed been raised from the dead!  (20)  And because it is true, we can simply reverse all that Paul has just argued: our faith does have meaning, deep, profound implications for life and eternity; we do have forgiveness and the sure hope of life beyond the grave.  We can be certain about our own future; about all who die in Christ.  Death has been swallowed up in victory.  (15:54).  Our dying in Christ becomes the passageway to heaven.
 
During my 30+ years as a pastor, I have stood at the bedside of the dying, I have stood at the graveside more times than I can remember.  It never gets easier.  The hardest part for me is driving away from the hospital or the cemetery; the finality of someone being gone weighs on my soul, it just does.  I’ve seen all the death I care to see, even though I will likely see more before my time on earth is done. 
 
Where do we find hope in the face of death?  We find it in the truth of God’s Word; in the certainty of the resurrection!  In Christ all will be made alive.  (15:22)
 
Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  (15:57)

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Ken Clarke has been the Pastor at Valley since 2007. He lives in the Oliver area 
    with his wife Janice ; they have three adult children, Lisa, Scott & Tiffany (Riley) and Andrea & Jason.

    Categories

    All
    Christian Living
    Christmas
    Church
    Creation
    Easter
    Finishing Well
    Leadership
    Mexico
    Most Viewed
    Nature Of God
    Our Stories
    Parenting
    Prayer
    Relationships
    Worship

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012

4312 Black Sage Road Box 1235 Oliver, BC V0H 1T0 250-498-4829 valleyccc@hotmail.com