BISHOP JOSEPH's EASTER POST

First, I would like to thank everyone for their prayers and thoughts at my Grandmother's passing.  My family and myself needed them at that time.

St, Mark 16 4 - 6 "And when they looked they saw that the stone was rolled away; for it was very great. An entering into the sepulchre they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment and they were affrighted. And he said unto them.  Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen: he is not here: behold the place where they laid him."

I like to read this on Easter morning.  Sometimes I think of them going to the grave and the stone is rolled away.  As the bible says, they must have been really afraid.  Maybe they thought that someone had stolen Jesus' body.  Maybe they were angry.  They wanted the body back.

At that time, most of the graves were vaults.  The big upright ones that have a door that seals in the front.  Now most of the graves are dug in the ground.  I could  think of going to a grave of a family member and finding it open and their body gone.  I would be angry, afraid and wonder what happened.  Why would someone steal a body?  Now, I am not putting my family on the same level as Jesus.  But to consider how I would feel it it happened to me or my family.

But Jesus, who was crucified - he died.  He was buried.  He has risen.  He is not there.  I wonder now they felt when he died.  I wonder if they really believed he would rise.  They must not have because they came to his grave.  But, he was not there !!  He had risen !!

There are some religions, I will not name, that believe that Jesus' body was stolen.  They believe in the Old Testament, but not the New Testament.  They don't believe that our Savior has come yet.  I feel sorry for they do not understand.  They do not know.

What I would like to be remembered is that Jesus died for our sins, but he also rose again.  He is alive.  He is risen.  He is with us.  He is with us through all time - good times and the hard times or bad times.  We can turn to him at any time.  We can pray to him any time.  We can talk to him anytime.  We can ask his help anytime.  We can thank him at anytime. We can praise him at anytime.

So this Easter, my message is God is risen.  He is with us all the time.

Jesus love us, Jesus died for us, Jesus is Risen,
Happy Easter,
Bishop Joseph