Were You There?

One of my most cherished songs to sing during Holy Week is “Where You There When they Crucified My Lord?”, from our United Methodist Hymnal. The song takes me from the cross to the grave and leaves me right there. Now can I factually answer that question? Well physically no I cannot, but when I sing that song I can spiritually and emotionally place myself there. In my mind and soul, I experience what the disciples did. It is an experience that I cannot accurately describe, instead I say, “You have to be there to experience it for yourself.”

Have you ever had an experience like that before? Something so incredible, that although you witnessed it personally, words could never do it justice. Maybe it was the first time you visited the Grand Canyon or the birth of your child. You could tell of your experience but you know that until someone experiences it for themselves they would never truly understand. To me that sums up the Christian experience. As a preacher, I try to use words often to describe it, but I know that unless a person expriences it for themselves my words could never be enough.

The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are just like that. They are wonderful attempts to describe to us the experience of the disciples, but until we live the gospel in our own lives we will never truly know. But how do we live the gospel in our own lives? I believe it begins by living and loving how Jesus did.

This Easter Sunday we will celebrate that Jesus lives and how we are witnesses to that. We weren't physically there, but we are still witnesses. However to truly be witnesses of the gospel we must become the gospel for other people. Join us for worship at 7:00AM, 8:30AM, or 10:45AM as we explore ways we are witnesses to the gospel and how we can live that out in our lives.

In God’s grip,

Pastor Chuck Church