April 4, 2021 - Life Springs Forth: From Despair to Hope! (New Beginnings) - Pastor Paul Vallee

Luke 24:1-49 Historically, after times of incredible evil, people often go back to life as if nothing ever happened. I’m sure for many Jewish people living during, and after Christ's resurrection, life continued with little or no change. In other words, these events were quickly dismissed, and nothing was learned from them. If we were to travel back to the crucifixion event, it was a defining moment that changed everything for the disciples, not just in the theological understanding, of sins being forgiven through Christ's sacrificial and substitutionary death, but that it was in the early disciples lives a moment of confusion and devastation. It seemed so unexpected, but it would ultimately change the trajectory of their entire futures. What is true of them is also true of us. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is a life-transforming experience for people even today. We could also say that other events in people’s lives are life-transforming; the loss of a spouse, the death of a child, a life-changing accident, wars, famines, and pestilence can be added to that list of changing our future trajectory or direction in life. What then happens after Covid for us? What are the life lessons that God is trying to teach us during this time and event in our lives? How will we move forward considering this event? What can we learn from the disciples in their experiences of despair, confusion, joy, and then the implications of Jesus’ resurrection that can be applied to our lives today?