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"Now I would remind you" (1 Corinthians 15:1).

Our pastor began his sermon Easter Sunday candidly stating a confession, "I used to dread preaching on Easter". My mind flashed back to my 30 years of pastoral preaching and I immediately knew what he meant. He went on to explain how most people already know the story, even those with nominal faith. Because it is so familiar the danger is we lose our sense of awe and wonder. A pastor feels pressured to come up with something original regarding the Easter story that has not previously been presented on Easter.

But he told us that changed several years ago. He was at home preparing his Easter message and in exasperation he told his wife he was having a difficult time writing the message. In a word of wifely wisdom she told him, "The message has already been written, you just need to proclaim it". And that's just what Pastor Beau did!

Indeed the common feeling among preachers is to come up with something fresh and new, some detail or concept the people have not already heard. Of course there may be a new insight to share, although in reality it's almost certainly already been shared already by someone else!

But the important thing is to proclaim the old, old story since those who know it best are hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest. (Some of you will recognize that edited line from an old hymn!)

Christianity Today had an article come out this Easter season (of all times) that has caused quite a stir. A "scholar" asserts that it's possible that Jesus was not really nailed to the cross. My reaction (along with many others) was WHAT?

In a nutshell he fell for the temptation to be new and relevant. His supposedly deep new insight may be a way of justifying that he is a "scholar" and a "Dr." (See below for more material about this.)

Our daily text, purposefully truncated, is the introduction to the apostle Paul's most extensive treatment of the resurrection. He begins, "Now I would remind you". He was proclaiming to them what he had already preached. It wasn't a new truth even then, although listeners may have been present who had yet to absorb or hear this essential teaching of Christ's return. That might also be true in your Easter church setting.

The longer you serve Christ and are exposed to Biblical teaching both through hearing and personal study the less likely a truth will be brand new. We need to find delight in being reminded and humbly acknowledge we do forget.

Brooksyne and I both find that we still get new insights or perhaps we've heard a teaching or concept years earlier that we've once again been reminded of and find it refreshes our spirit once again. Tomorrow I will share about a detail our pastor shared in the resurrection account I'm not sure I had ever given much thought to. But it's not new; it's been in there all along!

B e encouraged today! Hebrews 3:13