Wednesday Recap
With the two service project groups we had go out this month, we taught the same lesson to each group. If you missed the recap from April 1, I'll post the same recap here.
'"It’s very difficult for anybody who thinks of themselves as an intelligent person, who’s secular, to even entertain the possibility that someone died and come back to life.” These are the words of one of the most listened to content creators with over 10million followers and listeners.
These are not words that begin or stay with him. There are many skeptics throughout the generations who cannot wrap their heads around the fact that Jesus was real. That He really lived a perfect life, died a sinner's death in our place, rose on the third day, ascended into Heaven, and will come back one day.
Lies about the resurrection started moments following the guards seeing that Jesus was no longer in the tomb. In Matthew 28 we have a record that the Roman guards were bribed by the chief priests to say that the disciples stole the body while they were sleeping. The wanted to start spreading rumors to discount the stories that were going to be coming their way.
So, how do we know that Jesus rose from the tomb? Does it really matter?
Paul, the author of many of the New Testament books of the Bible had this to say about the resurrection and why it mattered. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 Paul writes (about twenty years after the resurrection) “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.”
Paul reminds us that Jesus conquering dead is the pivot point for an understanding of our salvation. Without His physical resurrection, we would not have salvation from our sins (1Corinthians 15:17).
This was not all said in hopes and dreams. Paul had received a creed from the early church that is dated within months of Jesus' journey one earth. In that creed, it talks about Jesus being seen by many people. He names Cephas, the twelve, more than five hundred brothers at one time (most of whom were still alive when Paul was writing to the church in Corinth, so they could go fact check him), James, all the apostles, and even to Paul himself.
The resurrection of Jesus was seen by real people who touched Jesus, ate with Jesus, and walked with Jesus for forty days leading up to His ascension.
Lee Strobel writes in "The Case for Easter" that there are four proofs of the resurrection. I'm not going to list all the evidence here, but he states that 1) Jesus really died, and he gives proof texts, 2) The early accounts of the resurrection verify a bodily resurrection, 3) The tomb was empty. Even the skeptics can agree on that, and 4) The eyewitnesses."
Serving
We had over 40 high school students that went to serve at Alpha Family Services in Greenville during Thrive. They worked hard, they cleaned well, and they were a blessing to Alpha. It is such a blessing to have a group of students and leaders who have such a great attitude in serving.
Additional Serving Opportunities
- This Saturday from 10am-noon we could use help with lawn work to get ready for a women's event coming up. If you can help, please contact Amy at busymommy9@gmail.com.
- Calvary Hello Hoedown on May 16th we could use help face painting, coloring with kids, and helping out in many other ways. You can see the list and sign up in the connect space on a Sunday.
- 5k4Life walk/run on June 13 is a fundraiser to help raise support for Alpha. If you are interested in helping or donating to this event, please contact Melissa McAlvey.
Upcoming Dates/Info
April 29 - Thrive at MidTown
May 6 - Early Release at MidTown 11am-12pm
May 6 - Hot Topics - Thrive at MidTown
May 13 - End of the Thrive year party. "Can you Rescue Larry?" is the theme of the night. Plus opportunity to put Pastor Rob in the dunk tank if our goal of reaching $1,000 toward our mission project is met. We are almost there. This will be held at MidTown from 6-8pm. Food will be provided.
August 10-15 - Mission Trip to Hastings, MI. We will have a Q&A with parents following the morning services in room 204 on May 3 for those interested in learning more about the trip.
We will have dates during the Summer to connect as a youth group. Those dates are being planned, and we will get the information out to you as soon as we finalize details.