A Second Easter.

Today….on this Monday Morning.

That’s what we are celebrating.

In areas of the world, Easter becomes a long break as today is a second Easter.

Yesterday, churches were filled, seats were filled, even shoulder to shoulder, people sat side-by-side, attending Easter service.

WHY?

Why do people celebrate Christmas by attending church? Is it to celebrate and praise the birth of the Messiah?

Why do people celebrate Easter Sunday at church? Is it to celebrate and praise the risen LORD?

Across the world yesterday, people returned to church.

Last Easter (in 2020), in-person Easter services throughout the world were canceled due to the Coronavirus as everyone moved to online Easter services.

Maybe some people attend church every Christmas and every Easter, BUT when the pandemic hit in March 2020, that took away their opportunity to go in-person to church. Then the pandemic raged on, even during Christmas 2020, and some stayed away from church. Still today, some may not have attended church since Christmas of 2019, since BEFORE the pandemic.

BUT NOW………

• We have many who have taken the vaccination.
• We have many who have already contracted the virus.
• We have become tired of isolation.
• We are tired of fear and confusion.
• We may even have become angry at the lack of socialization.
• We may be moving toward herd immunity. &
• We may be gearing up for a whole new variant of the virus.
• We may just be totally done with this Coronavirus. 

• We live in a world filled with traditions. Yes, we have so many rituals.
• We have a world filled with people who do what they do because that is what they do & because it is always what they have done.
• Why Christmas service? Why Go?
• Why Easter service? Why Go?
• Why Every Sunday…..52 Sundays of a full year? Why Go?
• Is church just something we do? Something we enjoy? OR Is the fellowship of believers something we essentially need?

Do we go to certain church services to check off our list, to do what we have always done, to do what is on our calendars to do?

OR………

Do we attend church for a whole different reason——To worship a risen LORD?!!!

Is the worship of a risen LORD the PLACE we go—–a building.

OR………

Is worship of a risen LORD the PLACE we go—–in our heart, in our soul, in our mind, and in our being?!!!

Is Easter over when the church building sits empty on this day, on this Monday morning?

OR………

Does Easter continue into this day—–this Monday, this second day of Easter?

AND………

What about tomorrow, on Tuesday—–will Tuesday be a third day of Easter?

And then what about a fourth day—on Wednesday?

And what about a fifth day? Can we still celebrate Easter on Thursday…….AFTER Easter Sunday?

And can we even celebrate a week full of Easter resurrection mornings?

What about a month full of Easter resurrection mornings?

What about a year full of celebrating our risen LORD?………….Day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day after…
Is it possible for us to Never Stop Celebrating Easter Resurrection Sunday?

I truly think so. IN FACT, I TRULY KNOW SO!!!
The fact remains——–the fullness of our hearts says so!!!!
When we are touched by Jesus, we cannot remain untouched.    We cannot help but know it.
When Jesus speaks, we cannot hear and not hear!

When we sense the presence and peace of God, we cannot receive His presence and go untouched. No, it is impossible!!! We immediately recognize the presence of God.

Yes, it is a truth. It is a promise from God. It is totally impossible to be touched by God and not know it.
Impossible!!! TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE!!!
The apostle John wrote to explain this point so we could better understand. “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning [JESUS] the Word of Life—-  (verse 1)

and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—- (verse 2)

what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ  (verse 3).

These things we write, so that our joy may be made compete (verse 4).—-1 John 1: 1-4.

• And so, on this Monday after Easter, (this second Easter) we can celebrate the resurrection of Jesus—-the Risen LORD.
• And so, on Tuesday (tomorrow), we can celebrate Easter again as we lift our hands to heaven and proclaim for all the world to see, even on Tuesday, two full days after Easter Sunday, Jesus is Still our resurrected LORD.
• And on Wednesday.
• And on Thursday.
• And on Friday.
• And on Saturday. 
• And on Sunday. 
• Day after Day.
• Week after Week.
• Month after Month.
• Season after Season.
• The whole 21st year of this century.

And then, if the LORD tarries His second coming, even then, years from now, even in 2031, we can still continue to celebrate a Risen LORD!!! 

Forevermore!!! Every Single Day!!!

Yes, Every Morning…………..Every Single Moment of Every Single Day…………We Can Wake Up & Praise & Celebrate our Risen LORD——Jesus Christ has been Resurrected from the Dead. HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!! We serve a RISEN LORD!!!

And so, let us remember how it was on that Easter morning, centuries ago, when the women went to anoint the dead body of Jesus (three days after His crucifixion, three days later on that Sunday morning), they found an open burial tomb, a gaping hole where a HUGE stone had been rolled away from the entrance.

In their heart, the women were first confused, then frightened, and then angry when they thought grave robbers had stolen the dead body of Jesus.
BUT THEN……God provided the women direction through His angelic messengers.
“Why do you seek the living One among the dead?      He is not here, but He has risen.      Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.      And they remembered His words [Jesus’ words]…”

(Luke 24: 5-8)

Welcome to this Day…….  this Monday morning……this second day of Easter.

May we go and tell the whole world.

JESUS IS ALIVE!!!!

How do we know?

BECAUSE JESUS LIVES IN YOU.

&

BECAUSE JESUS LIVES IN ME.

May we “Come and See & Go & Tell” the world that IT IS A FACT & IT IS A TRUTH……………….we serve a Risen LORD!!!