Bishop Wolfgang's Easter Message

April 24, 2011

Dear Friends,

I am not sure what Mary Magdalene and Mary and the others were thinking.

Here they are, going to the tomb early on Sunday morning and having no idea how they would roll away the heavy stone and get access to Jesus' grave.

But when they get there, the tomb is already open. There is no body. Jesus is gone.

With God, all things are possible, and so this Jesus, this teacher and preacher who during his lifetime always did the unexpected, the unconventional, has one more surprise. And for us, the implications are enormous.

You see, if Jesus has been raised from the dead, then you and I will overcome death. In Jesus' resurrection, God has said a loud and final NO to sin and to death. God has said a loud and final NO to everything that stands between God and human beings ... and God has said a life-changing, death-shattering, earthquake-producing YES to life. With Jesus' resurrection, God has rolled away that huge stone that blocks our lives and that keeps us from being in right relationship with our creator and with one another.

My prayer for you this Easter is that you may again experience the joy of the resurrection that lifts every weight off our souls and live again in the sure knowledge that in Jesus Christ, God has claimed you forever.

Alleluia! Christ is risen. - Yes! Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Peace and blessings,

Bishop Wolfgang