Up From The Grave He Arose!

Hallelujah! Christ is Risen! I'm praying you had a blessed Resurrection Sunday. Iowa was blessed with a perfect sunny and warm day to enjoy and worship.  The rains of Saturday brought new life and green-ness everywhere we looked and the sunrise was glorious. Thank you, Jesus!

I grew up in the days of beautiful hymns that shared the stories of Jesus and the hope of our faith. Those hymns probably did as much to teach me about faith as my Sunday school teachers did, maybe even more. I love the contemporary music that is also faith-filled but sometimes I miss the hymns that are stored deep in my memory. When I hear them or replay them in my mind, I am back standing in the pew next to Daddy, hearing his beautiful voice singing.

Today the refrain of the hymn, Low in the Grave He Lay, came to me and I could almost see and hear Daddy singing, "Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o'er His foes; He arose a victor from the dark domain, And He lives forever with His saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!"

The songs written decades ago still carry the message as beautifully as when they were first sung. The  words and music draw a picture of a story shared first in scripture. The music and phrases seem to open my mind to understand the scriptures. I can remember a song easier than I can memorize words alone.

After Jesus' resurrection He appeared to the disciples and helped them understand the relevance of all that had happened and what their role was now.

"He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high"" (Luke 24:44-49 NIV).

It is the Holy Spirit that delivers the power to understand to us now, and He wants us to be witnesses of our Savior today. We know the Good News, so let us carry it on our faces, in our arms, and with our voices to everyone we meet today.

"Hallelujah! Christ arose!"