Dear Church Family,

      April 2025 begins with a mixture of emotions.  It starts on a solemn note as we remember the Holy Week, also known as Passion Week.  Passion Week begins this year on Palm Sunday April 13.  It was on Palm Sunday more than two thousand years ago when the Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey.  As He entered the city, the people shouted “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”  We call that day Palm Sunday because the people waved palm branches in celebration upon the arrival of their deliverer who would overthrow the Romans.  At least that is what they thought. 

      The Passion Week was filled with excitement and controversy.  Instead of going to Pilate and demanding the Romans leave Jerusalem, Jesus went to the Temple and physically rebuked the money exchangers and those involved in crooked business schemes.  On Thursday, we remember that special Passover with Jesus and His disciples.  That night He took the bread and wine and introduced the New Covenant we call the Lord’s Supper.  After the meal, Jesus and the disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.  A large crowd appears.  Judas is with them.  He approaches Jesus and says, “Hail, Rabbi,” and kissed Him. Jesus was arrested.   Peter takes a sword and cuts off the ear of a man named Malchus.  Jesus restores the severed ear.  The crowd could care less.  They finally had Jesus cornered.  They thought.

      On Friday morning, the cry of the crowd has changed.  On Sunday they had hailed, “Crown Him.”  On Friday they cried, “Crucify Him.”  They thought this Jesus was going to deliver them from the Romans.  What they failed to understand was that Jesus had come to deliver them from their sins.  The angry mob demanded His death.  They took Jesus to the High Priest then to Pilate, trying to find some violation that might secure the cruelest manner of execution--crucifixion.  Finally, He was taken back to Pilate. As a symbolic gesture to clear his conscious of any guilt, Pilate washes his hands in front of the mob and then he ordered Jesus to be crucified.  At 9 AM they crucified the Son of God to a Roman cross.  At 3 PM Jesus died.  His body was laid in a borrowed tomb.  They even had the tomb secured with the seal of Rome along with a detachment of soldiers to stand guard.  The mob had their way.  They had ridden the world of this troublemaker.  They thought. 

      Sunday morning, some followers of Jesus rose up early to go to the tomb.  They intended to anoint His dead body with perfume and to properly attend to His funeral; however, there was a change of plan.  Like lightning from Heaven, an angel appeared and rolled the stone away from the tomb.   The grave was empty.  The burial cloth was abandoned.  The earth shook.  The sacrificial Lamb was loose!  The angel proclaimed, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here!  He is risen!”  Our Great God and King Jesus Christ is alive!  The gloom of Friday had turned to inexpressible joy!  The Deliverer had delivered!  The debt of sin was paid in full. 

      Two thousand years later the Gospel message is still the same.  Jesus died to save us.  He rose to give us victory.  He lives so that all who believe in Him may have eternal life.  This we know!  Amen and amen.

Have a wonderful and blessed Resurrection Sunday!

PASTOR RICKY