Easter Message 2015 from the Methodist Mission of The Gambia

Easter: With God all things are possible

God can do any thing he wants to do or not do. He is the Almighty God and in Jesus Christ he was pleased to reconcile to himself. Jesus made huge difference at Easter when he rose from the dead. 2,000 years ago, the Easter weekend change the lives of the follower’s o Jesus and the whole world. Now, with prayer and belief of Jesus new Life, we too can change our lives and the world.

Easter from start to finish has powerful testimonies, inspiring stories and encouraging interviews; Easter story of Jesus’ new Life is for everyone. Jesus said that he was Life and he gives life to all people.

Make a difference in your life this Easter, believe, believe, and believe, Jesus is raised from the dead. The story of Jesus’ resurrection is always a new story to read or hear again for it is the story of life that brings us hope.

This story tells us that it is important to trust God to believe in him for the new life he is giving through Jesus. The death and burial of Jesus draws our attention to the fact that this experience was necessary for the resurrection to take place. Jesus is the first to rise from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit. God is the lord of death and of life.

Today, in our modern 21st century world with the rapid technological advancement, do you find it difficult to believe in the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus and of the risen Jesus’ appearances to disciples? Some are wrestling with this fact and its reality like Thomas, a disciple of Jesus.

Thomas reality to doubt the resurrection was not Jesus reality. Of all the disciples, he was the only one who had that perception, and he was wrong in this case. Thomas did not stand upon his previous experiences with the miracles of Jesus; he only looked back to Jesus suffering and death on the cross and found it impossible to imagine and to believe that a supernatural occurrence had taken place. How can he believe that it was possible for Jesus to rise from the death, when he saw the torture and the broken body of Jesus on the cross and Jesus did nothing to save himself from the cross. How then can Jesus be alive, no, he must see and touch the wounds of Jesus, if he were to believe. The risen Jesus proven to him that his perception was wrong and invited him to touch the marks of the wounds in his hands and side. Jesus reality of truth became Thomas as he exclaimed “My Lord and my God” and believe; he knew that, with God all things are possible. Pray in the face of doubt, don’t just react. Stop, pray, think and in this inspiring story, we learn that the resurrection of Jesus is true. Jesus wanted us to know that it was a blessing to believe, for with God all things are possible, he said blessed are they that believe and have not seen. To believe is to understand that Jesus died for our sins, he was buries and rose again fro the death on the third day to bring us to eternal life, this is good news if you have the choice of believing or not to believe, choose to believe.

We know God is love and that we should show love towards him and to others, the people we live and work with. We are called to love others as ourselves. Gal 3: 28 we are all children of living God. If you are sorrowful through sickness or bereavement or through captivity or oppression, this Easter, God will encourage and comfort you, he is our refuge and strength.

Brothers  and sisters, let us pray this Easter, and cry out to God that the peace of God will come to us, to our families, communities, to the nation and to the world. May we in The Gambia continue to be thankful to God for His peace, safety and security. Let us work together for the common good.

May God bless, strengthen, restore and fill you with his goodness. May God bless you all this Easter with contentment, safety, soundness, welfare, health, prosperity, tranquility and peace. May the peace and the joy of Easter be yours. God bless you abundantly.

To the President of the Republic of The Gambia, His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhajie Dr Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh, the Vice-President, Her Excellency, Ajaratou Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, Religious Leaders, members of the Government and the National Assembly and to all who live and work here in The Gambia, on behalf of The Methodist Church The Gambia, I wish you all a blessed and joyful Easter.