Living Near the Holy Sepulchre

An Easter Reflection from Rev. Jack Sara

As a little child I grew up in the old city of Jerusalem. One of the most exciting times for us as children was Easter. I lived near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site of most of the Easter Celebrations. We grew up waiting anxiously for this celebratory season. People came from all over the country to Jerusalem. Many from Greece and Cyprus flooded the old city of Jerusalem.

For me, all of my excitement was not related to the real experience of the resurrection as much as celebrating this important historical fact. Although this is fine, when I committed my life to Christ later on, I experienced the reality of resurrection in my life. I realized that Jesus’ resurrection is the cornerstone that we build our faith upon. The crucifixion is not the climax of salvation, but the resurrection.

“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” ~1 Cor. 15:14 NIV

The resurrection is the token of life that Christ has given to us. 

In Palestine, life is not easy. Our conflict is massive and our strength is weak, trusting in the Risen King, will give us the power to endure, to stand against the injustice, to continue to proclaim the good news and to assure all the world that through us the living stones of Palestine, the power of the resurrection  is still at work.