YES, HE IS RISEN INDEED!

YES, HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Easter Sunday, here in our part of the country it is chilly and a bit on the cloudy side, and we may even get a few snow showers.  But it is always sunshine in my heart when we sing those glorious songs of our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I remember those days when I was a child when we dressed up for Easter Sunday.  There were bonnets, new shoes and pretty dresses.  And we always had our Easter baskets to collect those beautiful colored eggs which were hidden in the lawn in the nearby park.  Then there were Sunrise Services, remember those?  We met out in the park as the sun was rising remembering our Lord and His glorious resurrection.

I carried those traditions over with my own children, but now times are different, but some of the old traditions remain.  I do miss the Good Friday Services and the Sunrise Services, but there is still a time to rejoice in the old hymn s as we sing on Sunday morning.  And these old hymns seem to be ageless, sung by the generations past.  As you know, I love to share the history of the old hymns.  And these stories are unique in the message they bring and the circumstances in which they were written.  I remember this one in particular from the days of my childhood, and we continue to worship our Lord today with this hymn, “He Lives.”

“By training, Alfred Ackley was a cellist who had studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London.  But he was also a minister of the gospel, serving churches in Pennsylvania and California.

The gospel song, “He Lives” was written after a question was posed to Ackley by a young Jewish student: Why should I worship a dead Jew?

Ackley answered quickly, “He lives! I tell you he is not dead, but lives here and now!  Jesus Christ is more alive today than ever before.  I can prove it by my own experience, as well as the testimony of countless thousands.”

Ackley talked to the man further and then went home to reread the Resurrection stores of the Gospels.  As he read, the words “He is risen” struck him with new meaning.  Then, from the combination of the scriptural evidence, his own heart, and the experience of the innumerable cloud of witnesses, he sat down at the piano and wrote the song.  He once said, “The thought of his ever-living presence brought the music promptly and easily.”  (HYMNS by Petersen)

HE LIVES

I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today;

I know that He is living, whatever men may say;

I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him He’s always near.

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.

He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.

In all the world around me I see His loving care,

And tho’ my heart grows weary I never will despair,

I know that He is leading through all the stormy blast;

The day of His appearing will come at last.

Rejoice, rejoice O Christian, lift up your voice and sing

Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ the King!

The hope of all who seek Him, the help of all who find,

None other is so loving , do good and kind.

Alfred H. Ackley (1887-1960)

This wonderful hymn truly is a song of great joy and hope.  In all the seasons of life, we can rejoice in the glorious Resurrection of our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ.  We live in a world that seemingly is growing darker and darker and sin and evil abounds.  But we know that our Savior lives no matter what the world may say.  Many have rejected the message of the Gospel,  but the message is alive and well.  We continually hear testimonies of changed lives, of miracles of answered prayer.  And we serve a Savior that is always with us, never leaving nor forsaking His people (Hebrews 13:5).

All we have to do is look up into those clouds, see those beautiful trees and mountains and see those beautiful birds and animals He creates, and our hearts are filled with wonder.  I could go on and on here as His creation is boundless. 

My own heart does grow weary with continued trials and sometimes the storms seem to hit with a “stormy blast”.  Sometimes those trials seem to go on and on and we wonder when we will be able to stand on the mountain top in the sunshine again.  But there is coming a day when He will come again.  The days seem long and we look to the heavens wondering when He will come back, but His Word promises a day when the sky will roll back and our King Jesus will descend and call His people home.  What a glorious day that will be!

So He calls us to “Rejoice, rejoice O Christian, lift up your voice and sing!”  Worship the Lord, shout His praises, and sing to Him in joyful song.  He is the One who brings us hope, is our help in all our struggles, as we seek His face continually, no matter what the days ahead may hold for each of us.  Praise God, He Lives!

“O Come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.  Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.  For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all Gods” Psalm 95:1-3.

Blessings on this Easter Day,

Pastor Sharon