Do you remember the 1960s and all of the fear about “The Bomb”? I remember doing Bomb drills when I was a kid. People were building bomb shelters in their back yards. Songwriters were writing songs about the total destruction of mankind and the Cold War was on the minds of just about everyone. Yet with the future so uncertain, a young couple, Bill and Gloria Gaither believed that in the midst of all the turmoil of the world the future was nothing to be afraid of. With the birth of their third son they were inspired to write a song that I am sure all of know very well, Because He Lives.

Here’s what Bill and Gloria wrote:
How sweet to hold our newborn baby
And feel the pride and joy he gives
But greater still the calm assurance
This child can face uncertain days
Because Christ lives
Because He lives I can face tomorrow
Because He lives all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living
Just because He lives

Philippians 4:4-6 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;”
I don’t rejoice because of all of the turmoil in the world. I rejoice because in the midst of all the turmoil Jesus is “At hand”. That phrase means readily accessible. He is readily accessible because He Lives! He is alive and He is with us walking us thru the turmoil of this world. That is why we can rejoice in the Lord always!

This morning our service will start with a great resurrection hymn, He Lives!
Then we will join our voices singing Hosanna which means “Salvation has come”. Days of Elijah reminds us that:

Behold He comes
Riding on the clouds
Shining like the sun
At the trumpet call
So lift your voice
It’s the year of Jubilee
And out of Zion’s hill
Salvation comes

I Will Not Be Shaken and Because He Lives will lead us into a time of prayer. We are not even a month away from Easter Sunday. Let’s begin celebrating the resurrection of our Lord today! Remember Jesus is at hand!