a love story.

Today I'd like to tell you a story. It's a love story.

Imagine a great, perfect, and mighty king. All power and knowledge is his. This King built a beautiful, spotless kingdom and put His people in it. For a time the people lived in the kingdom, but then they turned from the King. They broke the law. The King couldn’t be around this wrong. The people would have to be separated from Him forever. There was no way for them to be right with the King, except to have a perfect sacrifice as a substitute.

But, the King loved His people so much that He made a Way for them to be able to be with Him again. The King sent His son – His only Son – into the fallen kingdom to live as a lowly servant and to die as atonement for the people’s wrong. The King sent His pure, innocent Son to take the punishment that was the people’s incurable problem. The Son was betrayed, falsely accused, and mocked. He was spit upon, beaten, and nailed to a cross where He died.

The Son suffered all this to save the people in the fallen kingdom. He did this so that the people could be forgiven for their wrong in turning away from the King. He endured the lowest, cruelest death so that the people could have a Way to be with the King again.

As you might have guessed, this Son is Jesus. He left a perfect Heaven and came to earth. He took our place. He suffered, died, and was buried so that we could be forgiven of our sins.

But the story’s not over.

After Jesus was buried for three days, He rose again. He is not dead. He is alive. And that is why we can have eternal life.

Today we celebrate Easter. The reason we celebrate? Because Jesus rose from the dead. He’s alive.

This story is true. And it's the greatest love story of all time.

Christ has risen! He has risen indeed!

Happy Easter!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..."

1 Peter 1:3