“Unto the grave, what will we sing? / “Christ, he lives; Christ, he lives!” / And what reward will heaven bring? / Everlasting life with him / And we will rise to meet the Lord / Then sin and death will be destroyed / And we will feast in endless joy / When Christ is ours forevermore //” – Christ Our Hope In Life and Death
Brothers & sisters in Jesus,
I stood at the church doors to greet people as they came into our hall on Resurrection Sunday. When I saw my brother Marcus cycling towards the hall, I called out, “He is risen!” And Marcus stopped and smiled. And then he thoughtfully, slowly said, “Oh yes. He most definitely is.”
I wish you could have heard the singing this past Sunday as we all sang together for the first time since December. Even though there was just a handful of us gathered together, the hall was absolutely ringing as we sang, “See the stone is rolled away / Behold the empty tomb / Hallelujah, God be praised / He’s risen from the grave!”
How fitting it was that after a long, isolated winter we could sing our hearts out to the Lord on Resurrection Sunday. You see, if Christ had not been raised then you and I and the folks serving with 20schemes are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ is indeed raised (1 Corinthians 15:19-20). Yes, He most definitely is.
In 1 Corinthians 19 there is a very clear link between our union with the risen Christ and the call to labor on for the Kingdom with great hope: “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
So, surrounded by the brokenness of the schemes and even our own battles with sin, what is our courage? Christ the Lord is risen.
What is our power to suffer well? Christ is risen. What is our confidence? Christ is risen. What is our source of boldness? Christ is risen. What is our strength to love and to strive for holiness? Christ is risen. Why do we plant churches in the forgotten areas of Scotland? Christ is risen. Why am I here in Merkinch? Christ is risen. Why will we never walk the Christian life alone? Christ is risen. Why do we have confidence that God can save people here in hard places? Christ is risen.
Please pray these truths for us here in Merkinch. The work is long and hard. It’s even a battle every morning to just get up and face another day of hard fighting. But what hope and joy we have as we labor on knowing that because of our risen Christ our labor is not in vain. Praise His name!
The Lord is risen. Yes. He most definitely is,
Claire
P.S. There won’t be an update from me next Wednesday as I will be taking the whole of next week to spend intentional time reading and praying. I would so appreciate your prayers for this, as well. Thank you!
Claire in Scotland 