April 2022

April is the month of new beginnings when trees begin to sprout their leaves and flowers emerge from the ground to express their beauty. This is also the time when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. God’s infinite love for us is the foundation of the Christian faith for without Jesus being raised to conquer death, hell, and the grave, He would have been just another courageous martyr. You see, His perfect blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat and was the only payment that was holy and powerful enough to redeem, transform, and purchase the spirits of those who will believe. John 19:30 declares the Son of God cried from the cross, “It is finished” which guaranteed the covenant authority of God’s word is true and the spiritual reality that eternal salvation is now available for all who hear the gospel, are convicted to repent, and choose to embrace Him by faith. This is why the gospel is called the good news and truly it is the ultimate promise of hope and peace the world needs to hear.

Christ has conquered! This week we celebrate Easter, or more accurately, the Feast of the Resurrection. In this season we remember the triumph of Jesus Christ over death. This is the greatest and most joyous holiday of the year. In Romans 4:25 we read that Christ was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. This means that Jesus died in our place; our sin was laid on him and, like a sacrificial lamb, he was put to death in punishment for those sins. If that were the end of the story, though, it would be of no use to us. In rising from the dead Jesus demonstrated that he is more than a mere man, more even than a sinless man. He demonstrated that he is God in the flesh. His resurrection shows that he has defeated death that all who believe in him might know that they too will one day rise to a better resurrection. That he rose again also allows him to ever live to make intercession for us. This is why his resurrection is necessary in order for us to be justified (declared innocent of our sins). If he had merely died for those sins they would be paid for, but there would be no Intercessor and High Priest to apply that pardon to those who believe. There would also be no hope of victory over the final enemy: death. “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.” Jesus is the first example of a new kind of life which is available to all who trust in Him.

The book of Daniel is a fascinating and popular book, especially its first six chapters. In these chapters we find inspiring accounts of faith. Accounts of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace as well as Daniel being placed in the lion’s den famously give us examples of faith, courage and the power of prayer. The book was written by Daniel in Babylon during the period of Judah’s Babylonian captivity. As promised by Moses, God’s chosen people had been uprooted from the promised Land and hauled off into Babylonian captivity (Deuteronomy 28).

I started a little tradition with my grands a few years ago. I take the grands and we plant Jelly Beans, in the ground outside the night before Easter. Then when they wake up in the morning, there are suckers that have popped up out of the ground and grown up over night where we planted those Jelly Beans. For me, and I hope for them, this symbolizes Jesus coming out of the grave.

South Central Community Foundation (SCCF) is currently recruiting for its Youth Making a Difference Council (YMAD) from the seven counties they serve. YMAD is a program aimed to educate high school students about philanthropy, the grant making process, and the importance of giving back to their community.