A Note From Father Eickhoff
April 9, 2023
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
This is the great claim of Christianity. That Jesus the Christ, who was crucified, died, and was buried, is risen from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus is the paramount moment of history; not just for us as Christians, but indeed for the whole world and the entire human race. In the resurrection we see two critical truths revealed. The first is that the teachings of Jesus have the force of divine law. They are not simply something that can be ignored or set aside at will without consequences. For they are given to us not by a wise man or great philosopher; but rather by God Himself. Christ’s teachings are not given to us as a means to control or dominate us, but rather as a means of molding ourselves to be more like Jesus who is our leader in all things including rising from the dead. The second is that Christ’s resurrection is not a one-off event. Jesus is indeed the first to rise from the dead, but He is not the last. We believe that those who put their trust in Christ will also rise. In our common baptism we hope to share in His victory over the power of death so that we may follow where He is leading us: the Kingdom of God and eternal life.
The resurrection of Jesus turned the disciples from cowering men – hiding in an upper room – into bold apostles who went out in the world to set it aflame with the knowledge of Christ. So that not simply a few people in one small part of the world, but many people throughout the world might know of Christ’s victory over death and come to share in it. We today are the heirs of the men and women whom the apostles preached to. We hope to share in the great victory of Christ and so inherit eternal life. We rejoice today that God has and continues to make us worthy to celebrate with all our fellow Christians this great day of triumph. I hope that you will take home with you this day the conviction to live your life as a disciple of Jesus who has great hope in the promise that Christ’s victory was won not for himself, but for you. Live boldly in the world as Christians.
I wish to take a few lines to thank everyone who had a part in the preparation and conduct of the liturgies we have just celebrated during Holy Week. It takes a great deal of hard work and practice to prepare the church, carry out the liturgy, sing, assist parishioners, so that our worship of God during the most holy of weeks is carried out to the best of our human ability.
On my own behalf and on behalf of the entire staff of the parish I wish you a happy and glorious Easter!
In Christ,
Fr. Stephen Eickhoff
Pastor