A Declaration of Easter
At Christmas we sing a song with these words:
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found.
The resurrection of Jesus is the first expression of the fulfillment of that promise.
From the fall of the first man and woman, through long generation after generation, the thorns have infested the ground of our lives. “Sins and sorrows” have grown in every corner of our existence. There are flickers of beauty, love, and joy, but all is pierced in some degree by the thorns of the sins and the sorrows.
But our God and Father was not content to leave things that way. And so, “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us[1].” He has lived among the thorns with us as one of us. He has “borne our griefs and carried our sorrows[2].” He wore our thorns on the cross of death and through his death destroyed the thorns and the sins and the sorrows – and death itself.
“Joy to the world! The Lord is come!” Not just as a baby in a manger but now also as risen Lord and Victor from the emptied tomb. And we hear the voice from the throne saying, “Behold! I am making everything new[3].”
He is risen! Alleluia!
©2020 Gary A. Chorpenning; all rights reserved.
[1] John 1:14
[2] Isaiah 53:4
[3] Revelation 21:5
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