Many earthly celebrations are brief. But God’s divine festival of Easter inspires an ongoing afterglow. God’s grace burns ever brighter as each Sunday after Easter continues to build our Christian faith and sure hope on our Savior’s rising.
As mentioned last Sunday, the book of the Acts of the Apostles replaces our Old Testament lessons during this Eastertide. Therefore, we miss some prophecies pertaining to our Savior’s resurrection and their related gospel gems of truth. The Book of Acts, however, offers us glimpses of the practical application of our Savior’s resurrection. Built on the foundation of our Savior’s resurrection, God’s people proclaim the risen Savior to build God’s Church.
In fact, St. Paul reminds us that Jesus’ resurrection must remain central to our Christian faith. In his words, “…if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is pointless and so is your faith…but in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep… Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1Corinthians 15:13, 20, 58, EHVTM).