Our church has a tradition at Easter, the pastor will announce, “He is risen!” And the congregation will respond “He is risen, indeed!” In the middle of this pandemic and “safer at home” this tradition won’t happen this year, BUT Christ is still risen! Our inability to gather doesn’t change the fact.
Christ came as a remnant of one who was able to keep the covenant perfectly. He brought a bit of the kingdom of God everywhere He went. Even though He didn’t sin, He paid the price for our sin so that we can have our relationship with God restored. Then He rose from the dead to show His victory over the grave. He came in an unexpected way. He wasn’t the type of Messiah that the Jewish leadership anticipated and so they missed what He was doing. When He returned to heaven, the Holy Spirit came to help Jesus’ followers, then and now, to live a life that can bring the Kingdom of God wherever we go.
As we tell the story of Daniel on our radio show and podcast, we can see that Daniel lost the ability to continue with many of his traditions. He would not be able to celebrate Passover or any of the other feasts at the Temple. He was now in a foreign land but continued to worship God as he was able. God didn’t stay behind in Judah; He was with Daniel. Daniel actually brought the presence of God with him to Babylon.
During this pandemic time, we, as believers, still have the presence of God with us even if we can’t gather for Resurrection Sunday. We may have to develop new traditions as the times change, but rest assured that God doesn’t change. As His followers, we are still to bring His kingdom to others. How can you show the love of Jesus to someone this week? Remember, He is risen, He is risen, indeed! Luke 24: 34 they overheard them saying, “It’s really true! The Lord has risen from the dead.[1]
To hear more about the story of Daniel, listen here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/series/daniel-a-man-of-character/giving-credit-to-god
[1] The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017 by BroadStreet Publishing® Group, LLC. thePassionTranslation.com