Resurrection Sunday

Our family on Resurrection Sunday…

This was taken after church, so the kids were not really thrilled to be doing a picture.

Here is Nolan and Elaine at home before church.  I was blessed to have a dress in the box that fit Elaine, as well as shoes.  Nolan is wearing his suit from last year…I just let out the hem.  He’s gotten taller but not wider, so it worked out well!  We picked him up a new shirt and some shoes at the thrift store.  His hat matched perfectly…hooray for Children’s Place clearance!

These three little girls are always together at church, and yesterday they were all sporting new dresses!  If you ask Elaine about her blessings, she always names her friends first – Adelei & Selah, and Elli & Havilah (they attend different churches).  I think seeing her friends at church is the highlight of Elaine’s week!  We did get to see Havilah yesterday because her family came over to join us for dinner.  Ben did most of the prep work on Saturday, and he even washed the dishes for me too!  Maggy brought half of the food, so I didn’t have to do much but sit back and enjoy the delicious dinner.

Yesterday morning I played the piano for the Russian congregation.  They had the Lord’s Supper as part of their celebration of Jesus’ resurrection.  Though I couldn’t understand what was being said, I could understand the spirit of the service, and participate with them in remembering Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary, and His triumph over sin & death.  The body of Christ is an amazing thing – though we are different, we come from different backgrounds, we speak different languages – yet we are one in Christ.  We are united in Christ’s victory.

As Pastor spoke of preparing for the Rapture in our afternoon service, I was reminded that I am the Bride of Christ, and that my Bridegroom is eagerly awaiting the day when He will come back to claim me as His own.  It brought to mind again that this relationship is only possible because of Christ’s death on the cross to pay for sins, and by His victory over death at the Resurrection.  Praise the Lord for a risen Savior!

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:55-57