Newspaper Article - Two Events

Below is a recording and the text of an article that Pastor Rudiger wrote for the Leader-Vindicator.

A couple of weeks ago, two profound events impacted my life. On April 5, we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord. And even though I’ve led worship services on Easter Sunday almost forty times, it’s always special. You see, it comes at the end of a week in which we move from the enthusiasm of Palm Sunday to the pain and sacrifice represented by the cross. And Easter, well, that’s a wonderful way to finish this journey, with the hope made real by an empty tomb. And throughout my pastoral career, I’ve tried to help people focus on this pivotal event. 

But for me, this year was different. My father died on April 3. And although it was unexpected, it really wasn’t a surprise. Dad would have been 92 on April 15, and frankly, the last year was challenging. Still, he was in very good physical shape; therefore, we didn’t expect him to pass. As a matter of fact, my wife and I were planning to go down to Norfolk, Virginia during the week after Easter for a visit. Of course, we still went, but the reason was radically different. 

And as I’ve been working through these two events, I believe I’ve found a genuine sense of hope and peace in the resurrection. You see, as the Apostle Paul reminds us, “But Christ has been raised to life! And he makes us certain that others will also be raised to life.” [1 Corinthians 15:20, CEV] In other words, since those women found the tomb empty, someday ours will be too. 

And I’ll tell you, just believing this has given me enormous hope and peace. You see, my faith is grounded in something real and solid, not vague and obscure. Simply put, I trust that I’ll see my father again, along with my mother, grandparents and all those to whom I’ve said, “Good-bye,” because a process started when God raised Jesus from death. Again, as Paul wrote, “Just as we will die because of Adam, we will be raised to life because of Christ. Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us. But we must each wait our turn. Christ was the first to be raised to life, and his people will be raised to life when he returns.” [1 Corinthians 15:21-23, CEV] Now this is at the core of my faith. You see, my trust is not based on disembodied spirits floating around on clouds. Instead, it’s grounded in the sound of a trumpet, in the mortal bodies we now have putting on immortality and in the fulfillment of that promise: Death has lost the battle! Where is its victory? Where is its sting? [1 Corinthians 15:54b-55, CEV] And to me, that’s why the resurrection is important.

For me and my family, both events that recently impacted by my life are now in the past. We’ve celebrated Easter, and we endured a funeral. But personally, I doubt that I’ll ever be able to unlink the two, because I can now see that the time of separation we’re facing will end in the twinkling of an eye when God does for us what he’s already done for Jesus Christ. You see, as I’ve tried to convey during every Easter service, our hope is grounded in the resurrection.