April 5, 2026- Pastor Message
April 4, 2026“If Christ has not been raised, then empty is our preaching, and empty too your faith. Then we are false witnesses to God, because we testified against God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise” 1 Cor 15:14-15.
“If Christ has not been raised, then empty is our preaching, and empty too your faith. Then we are false witnesses to God, because we testified against God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise” 1 Cor 15:14-15.
Did God raise Jesus from the dead? Our entire faith as Christians depends on how we answer this all-important question. If we answer “No,” then we are saying, as St. Paul writes to the Corinthians, that the apostles who testified to the Resurrection are liars and everything that they said and wrote about Jesus, the very foundation of our faith, is a lie. But if we answer “Yes,” then we are saying that the apostles testified to the truth and everything that they said and wrote about Jesus is true, as is our faith.
If God raised Jesus from the dead, then Jesus is who he said he is as testified to by the apostles - the Son of God (Mt 16:16). And if Jesus is the Son of God, then everything he said and did is true. And if everything that Jesus said and did is true, then he truly gave the gift of the Holy Spirit to the apostles and his promise that the Spirit “will lead you to all truth” (Jn 16:13) is true. And if the Spirit was truly with the apostles, leading them “to all truth,” then their teachings and actions when they established the Church, including imparting that same Spirit of truth on the leaders of the Church who succeeded them (2 Tim 1:6-7), is true. And if that is true, then that same Spirit, passed on for 2000 years to bishops, the successors of the apostles, to continue the apostolic ministry, continues to lead us to all truth today.
But it all depends on the Resurrection. Did God raise Jesus from the dead or not? On Easter Sunday, we answer that question with a resounding “Yes!” May our “Yes!” to the question of the Resurrection resound through our faith in the testimony of the apostles found in Scripture. May it resound through our faith in the teachings of the apostles passed on and interpreted in each age by their successors, the bishops. And may it resound through our own words and actions in witness to others of the truth: Jesus Christ is risen!
Fr. Marc Stockton
On behalf of the entire parish and staff, may God bless you and yours this Easter season and may you have a very happy and Blessed Easter!
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