In his letter to the Romans, Paul carefully presents the truth of the gospel that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, was buried, and rose again the third day and lives and reigns today. In contrast to the Greek and Roman instinct that such a message is absurd and folly in the extreme, Paul declares that the fact of the resurrection – and the declaration of that fact – is not only not foolish, but is the very power and wisdom of the creator God!

As he begins to draw some conclusions, Paul states, so, “… if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:10-11) If the resurrection is true at all, it is true for every circumstance! It is upon that unchanging basis, then, that Henry Lyte leads us to sing out:

Soul then know thy full salvation; rise o’er sin, and fear, and care;
Joy to find in every station something still to do or bear:
Think what Spirit dwells within thee; what a Father’s smile is thine;
What a Savior died to win thee, child of heaven, shouldst thou repine?

Come, then, those who once were dead but now, in Christ, have been raised to new life together with Christ, let us gather together as the Living among the dead and let us worship! Let us witness together through songs, and hymns, and spiritual songs to the ongoing reality of the resurrection and the hope that is certified to us by it!

Order of Worship for 05.03.09