“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16–17).
A pastor once told me that every day is Easter. How true that is! The truth of Christ crucified and risen from the dead is the cornerstone of our faith. Paul tells us that if there is no resurrection, we should be pitied because we have no hope (1 Corinthians 15:17–19). The empty tomb gives us the confidence our faith requires. But we must also see the deeper need for proclaiming the resurrection: seeing God’s love on full display.
In my congregation we’ve been following Rev. Andrew Jones’ latest book, Ten Lies Satan Loves to Tell in our newsletter notes. This month our focus was on lie 7: “God does not love you.” Most days we might say, “what a crazy lie to believe!” But I bet you’ve entertained the lie at least once in your life. We live in a world where we can instantly see devastation and destruction happening all around the world. Some of us have had to witness close friends and family suffer. Some of you have even had to endure suffering yourself—not just physical but also emotional suffering. In these times, we can feel lonely and isolated, even from the Father. If you have felt unappreciated by your family, overlooked or unneeded by your friends, or even unnoticed by your church, you may have entertained this lie with the question: Does God really love me?
Like all the lies of Satan, this one can be devastating. If God’s love is called into question, where do we find our joy? Our assurance? Our hope? If we suspect that maybe God is against us, then we will wonder, “Who fights for me?” It is an isolating spiral—one that Satan desperately wants for us. Which is why this lie creeps up again and again as more suffering produces more fear in our modern world.
So what is the truth that dispels this lie? Christ is risen! The resurrection of Jesus is the mark of God’s love for His fallen creation. We see it all throughout the Scriptures: “For God so loved the world… (John 3:16, see above); “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13); “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God (1 John 3:1). Without the resurrection, we would not know the love of God for us. We would only know the burden of sin. But the resurrection puts the love of God on full display. He was on full display for the mobs of Israel, for the Roman soldiers, for the women at the tomb, and for the countless witnesses of His resurrection. And through the proclamations of many churches across the world, Christ remains on full display for all who are blessed to hear the Word today.
Our world glorifies suffering. It is at the forefront of our news cycles every day, and so it is always at the forefront of our minds. The suffering of this present world are awful, sometimes beyond all sense and reason. But the resurrection gives the world hope that there is a glory that awaits us which surpasses any and all suffering. It is rooted in the love of God, revealed through the cross and the empty tomb. So, in this world of suffering, for our sake and for the sake of our neighbor, we bask in this love. We abide in this love. For in this love, we can be sure that “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39).
Easter puts the love of Christ on full display. And it is our duty and joy to share this love with the world. So, this month: if you are suffering, come to church and abide in God’s love. If you abide in God’s love, leave from here and share that with others. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7). When the love of God is made known, it has the power to cast out all fear. Let us then carry with us the proclamation of the resurrection, both now and throughout our lives!
To learn how to share your faith, visit How to Share Your Faith – Michigan District, LCMS.
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