There are so many needful things, all demanding our attention. We ask ourselves, “Does God not hear them?” We know He does. Still, if we’re going to cast ourselves into the fray, it helps to know whether we’re in the right “fray.”

I happened to read a story written by a senior citizen who reminisced about her childhood. She was quite adept at painting a picture of her youth with words. It was fun to read her accounts of playing hide-and-seek with her siblings and cousins and the joy she experienced playing on her front porch. She wrote about a church across the street from her home. Then, suddenly, I read something she intended to be joyful, but it made me sad.

This author had included a picture of her mom, dad, herself, and siblings, all dressed up and standing outside in “their Sunday best.” She wrote that her parents had a photographer come to their home around the same time each year to take a picture of them.

There was a church right across the street from them, but they never attended. It seems that the only impact the church had on the family was to dress like the parishioners once a year and immortalize the annual event with a picture.

I wondered, did the parents die unsaved? Did none of the siblings receive Jesus as Lord and Savior? Was the author ready to face eternity without the blood of Jesus covering her guilt? Did anyone from the church ever invite them to church? Did people in the congregation ever pray for the families around their church? I have so many questions, but no answers, just a deep sense of sadness.

From her picture, it was exactly how my parents had us “dress up” on Easter Sunday - that’s what we called it back then. Resurrection Sunday is better. Each year, Mom would tell my sister and me that Jesus gave His very best for us, so we should meet Him in our very best. This made sense, but I hated wearing a tie, being a boy full of energy.

Anyway, when Mom corralled Dad, Sister, and me, we’d pile into our red and white 1956 Chevy Bel Air and drive into town to our church to celebrate the Good News of Christ’s resurrection with our congregation. At some point during our pastor’s Easter sermon, he would quote the verse that would become my joy and strength:

“He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” - Matthew 28:6–7

I understand now, but as a boy, I didn’t fully grasp the Good News preached on Easter Sunday; I could tell it held a power that knit our small congregation together. Mom and Dad clung to the words of the sermon. At the time, I didn’t understand how deeply Mom and Dad had been hurt as children, having both lost their mothers during the Great Depression. But it wasn’t just my parents who fed on the Good News; each (saved) “grown-up” in the congregation was filled by the Holy Spirit with strength and renewal of commitment to Christ Jesus, their Savior. However, this wasn’t true for the author of the story I read. For her, it seems that there was no Resurrection Day.

Paraphrasing her account, “We’d get dressed up in our Sunday best. The photographer would take our picture, and then we’d get back in our play clothes and enjoy the spring day.” Her family did not go to church, not even on Easter Sunday. Across her street were people who knew the power of “He is risen,” but she and her family were just dressed up with nowhere to go. I don’t think I’ve ever read a sadder story.

How many people do we know who are like the five virgins who had dressed in their finest but found themselves unprepared, dressed up with nowhere to go? (Matthew 25:1-13)

Whether your local church performs a cantata or your pastor preaches his Easter sermon, if we have placed our faith in Jesus, we are brothers and sisters with hope and a future because Christ Jesus has risen, just as He said.

God is described as complex and powerful, beyond human comprehension, who created the universe and knows every detail about us. He is loving and compassionate, offering refuge and forgiveness to all who accept Jesus as their savior. The text highlights various names of God from the Bible, emphasizing His sovereignty, might, and love.

This episode uses the joy of swimming pools as a metaphor for a vibrant Christian life. Just as a pool requires maintenance to remain inviting, believers need the Holy Spirit to nurture their faith so that they are inviting in how they present Jesus to others. Jesus gives us Living Water. Some will hate us because they hate the Water, but others will be drawn to come in.

I highlight the significance of discipleship in Jesus' time, emphasizing the need for close adherence to a rabbi's teachings, symbolized by “covering oneself in the dust” of a rabbi's feet. Also, I point out that acts of kindness towards even the weakest believers are noted as being done to Jesus. Followers are encouraged to show compassion to others, especially fellow believers.

The Gospel comes before our rights. Compromise Truth; never! Go to the back of the line when we are next in line? Sure, why not? The time I have belongs to God. If he wants to promote me, great; if not, I'll catch up on some emails while I wait.

Paul tells the Jews, and us, that outward religious acts, even if they were valid before Jesus of Nazerith, no longer provide a way for us to draw close to God. Now, the only way is to live in Christ Jesus Himself.

Believing that God answers prayer is essential to being counted among His children. Prayer serves no purpose without faith. Jesus emphasized the importance of sincere prayer through His teachings and life. We can trust that God hears and responds to our prayers, as confirmed by Biblical scripture and historical events.