1 | Raymond V. Banner
March 23, 2008 at 12:44 pm

Thank you Kerry for your “Reflections on Easter,” (March 21) and
“He is Risen!” (March 22)
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What a remarkable faith and hope there is in Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments and among believers since.

Jesus Christ the eternal son of God; incarnated in this world via a young virgin woman that he might identify with us; lived a sinless life among men as he went about doing good, proving his supernatural claims, preaching the gospel; though innocent he died on the cross in our place for our sins that we might by faith and obedience to him as Saviour and Lord have forgiveness of sins and a future place in his enternal kingdom; rose from the dead to confirm by this miracle
who he was, what he had proclaimed and what he would yet do;
ascended into heaven to be at the right hand of God where he makes intercession for us; is coming again to earth as righteous judge; will usher in a new earth and new heaven where those who believe and follow him may share an eternal place of glorious love and beauty.

But what a trial it was for his first believers in that short period between the ignominious death on the cross and the resurrection from the grave. They did not comprehend that the way to the throne is by the cross. Even though we have the entire story, we may go through deep trials of misunderstanding in our own faith and walk as God’s way is sometimes not our way. Sometimes God’s way is not even as we sincerely thought it was to be. But the Resurrection story
can pick us up again and bring new hope and faith even as it gave to the women at the tomb, the apostles lingering forlornly together after his death or the two disciples walking gloomily down the road to Emmaus with the hopeful stranger who turned out to be Jesus.