Chancel Choir And Orchestra
Easter Cantata Presentation
Palm Sunday, March 28th
10:30 a.m.

The Risen Christ

(A Celebration of the Resurrection)

Created by
Don Cason & Karla Worley

Arranged & Orchestrated by
Dave Williamson

At Easter, we traditionally remember the suffering, death, and sacrifice of Jesus. But it’s important for us to realize that the primary focus of the early church–what changed their perception of reality and transformed them into a band of revolutionary messengers–was not the crucified Christ, but the risen Christ. A dead Messiah was merely a great Rabbi. A risen Christ was indeed the Lord of all creation, to whom all authority was given, with the power to usher in God’s kingdom and create a resurrection community called the church.

Jesus Christ is risen. We have seen him for ourselves. And this matters. This was the story of the early church, and it is still our story today. It matters that Christ is risen. It matters that He now sits at the right hand of God. “If Christ has not been raised,” the Apostle Paul wrote, “our preaching is useless, and so is your faith.” (I Corinthians 15:14) But Christ has been raised. He is what the Bible calls “the first fruits” of the resurrection. In the risen Christ, we see the pattern for our lives. For just as we have been buried with Him by baptism into death, we have been raised to walk in the same new way of life that Christ was raised to walk. This Easter, may your hearts burn within you as you remember the story and reflect on its powerful implications for your life. May you also become messengers who cannot stop talking about what you have seen and heard.

–Mike Wallick
Chancel Choir and Orchestra Director