Resurrection.

We had fifty-seven in VBS today. That's been our highest attendance for the week. It has been a good week and it's hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day of VBS. Tomorrow will be a very busy day. After VBS there is a hot dog lunch for the children and their parents. After lunch we will also remove all VBS decorations, pack all decorations to be shipped or transported to another church, clean the church building, and set up everything for the Sunday service.

Our crew today did a number of things including rock climbing, four-wheeling, swimming, and house painting. Needless to say, the last option was the least popular but we will still finish the painting before we head home Monday morning. We were hoping to finish today but we ran out of paint. Maybe that was a forced rest!

Yesterday, part of our study was the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The drama crew (a rather scruffy-looking crew indeed) did a skit presenting the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. There were no words, only music and the acting. It was an emotional skit and, I believe, made the children much more attentive to the Bible study afterwards.

When Jesus died on the cross it must have been a frightening time for believers and non-believers alike. The curtain in the temple was ripped from top to bottom, people were raised from the dead, the whole country became dark in the middle of the day, rocks popped as they broke apart, and the earth quaked and shook violently (Matthew 27:50-53). Just one of those things happening would be frightening enough but all of them at the same time . . . sounds like terror to me!

The days that followed were equally frightening, especially to those who murdered Jesus. They were very frightened about what Jesus had said, "After three days I will rise from the dead." They even posted a guard so the disciples would not steal the body. But their plan backfired because, after three days, the body was gone and the guard was sill there.

Seems like people still want Jesus dead but that just ain't happening (pardon my ain't). The resurrection stands today with more proof and power than most historical happenings. Even non-religious historians have written of the earthquakes, darkness in the middle of the day, dead people walking, and Jesus being alive after his execution.

Flavius Josephus, a Roman citizen and author, wrote these words about Jesus, "He was the Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day . . . (Antiquities of The Jews, p. 379).

For those who are not followers of Jesus and for those who do not believe the Bible, there you have it! Even without the Bible you still cannot get away from Jesus, the crucifixion or the resurrection! Isn't that great!

He is risen!

He is risen indeed!