He is Risen Indeed!
I know that my Redeemer lives;
what comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my everliving Head.”
-”I Know That My Redeemer Lives”
Written by Samuel Medley
He is risen indeed… Halleluiah!
I don’t know about you, but I missed saying those words enthusiastically with my fellow believers in Christ on Easter Sunday. There is perhaps nothing about the COVID–19 quarantine that has frustrated me more.
On Easter morning, I wanted to go to church and celebrate our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, with other brothers and sisters who believe in Him. I bet you did, too!
Satan must have felt he won a great victory that day. Through this virulent disease, churches across the land were silent. But he was wrong, as usual!
For while our places of worship may have been empty and the organs silent, our voices were louder than ever. In our homes, with our families, we worshipped him in our exile. We celebrated His resurrection with joy and celebration as if we were amongst a congregation of fellow believers.
We were celebrating because, as you know, a heavy stone and seal could not keep Jesus in the grave. An armed guard of Roman soldiers could not keep Jesus in the grave. Death could keep Jesus in the grave, so neither will a pandemic!
He is risen indeed… Halleluiah!
As we slowly, but surely, emerge from the shadows of quarantine and social distancing, I believe God’s church, the church of our risen Savior, will emerge stronger and more enthusiastic than ever before.
We will work with a greater love for one another. We will work with greater compassion for one another. And we will work with a greater sense of urgency for one another. The great lesson of COVID–19 will not be how much we need each other, but how desperately we need Him.
Lutheran Indian Ministries and its ministry team have always worked with such an underlying sense of urgency. Perhaps there is no race of peoples more in tune with the fragility of this life than our Native brothers and sisters, nor a group more blessed with the ability to adapt for survival.
But God calls us to do more than survive. He calls us to serve Him always in everything we say and do.
The hard reality is people died during this worldwide tragedy, and some of them did not know Jesus.
Sadly, this happens at a proportionately higher rate in Indian country, pandemic or not. Too many Native people die without knowing Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Please join me in stopping this tragedy!
Through your gifts and prayers on behalf of Lutheran Indian Ministries, you are making a difference every day. You are putting us in places where we can proclaim the Gospel and transform lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you!
As life returns to “normal,” and we begin to gather once again to study His Word and worship, I invite you to walk with us. Not just to continue your support of Lutheran Indian Ministries with your prayers and gifts, but to do so with urgency. Help us reach Native lives as though there is no tomorrow. Let’s use these lessons we’ve learned to do God’s will more passionately and intentionally.
Satan intended our distancing for evil, but we can use it to grow God’s Kingdom as we’ve never seen before.
Despite all we have gone through over the past months, as Christians, we have reason to celebrate every day, because sin, death, and Satan have been defeated by the mighty warrior, Jesus Christ. So together we can shout with joy and confidence:
He is risen indeed… Halleluiah!!!
May the Lord bless and keep you, always.
Tim Young Eagle (Pawnee)
Executive Director
P.S. “Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives, I know that my Redeemer lives!” This is the message our missionaries share each and every day with the Native people they serve. Thank you for your gift, which is making an impact for eternity, especially during these times.
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