The Farmville herald and farmer-leader. (Farmville, Va.) 1934-1957, 1953-04-03
Easter Message
BY The Rev. {. O. Kidd
Pastor OF Farmviile Methodist
Church


In the prayer OF the Apostle
Paul, he seeks the power of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. His
reason is clear; he covets the in
tluence of this power upon hls
life, for he realized that III it
there was satisfying answer TO
lfes greatest mystery.
The power Of tho resurrection
IS TO be seen first of all IN Chris
tan's thought. 1t is the funda-
mental fact that satisfies him Of
the absolute truth OF the religion
OF Christ. 1t is absolutely clear
that the apostles were certain o.
their facts. They did not mercy
whisper in the assemblies of inc
faithful that Jesus was risen. as
private topic Of comfort for
Christian souls: they carried their
bold assertion of the resurrection
TO tribunals. which were filled
with their bitter enemies. and
challenged them to disproye it if
they could If, after Tie fashion OF
modern times, the ruling Sad
Gucees had appointed a scientific
commission to investigate the
matter, none would have been
more pleased than the apostles.
They had nothing 20 lose. they
had everything to gain by
searching inquiry.
One OF them wrote in after
years. We have not followed
cunningly devised fables. And
shortly after the resurrection.
they said. We cannot but speak
the things we have seen and
heard
They trusted their senses
enough TO believe one who re-
vealed them a world higher and
greater than the word Of sense
and III dong this, certainly. they
could say with the pSalmist. that
he had Set their feet upon
rock, and ordered their goings.
and had put new song III their
mouths.
For them the resurrection wal
ranted the truth OF Christ mis-
sion, the truth Of Christianity. All
that Christ has said. all that He
had promised and fo4etold. was
raised by it to the nigh level Of
undlsputcd certainty With the
mighty power OF such a miracle.
so certified. impcllulg and sus-
tanning them, they went forward.
They could not help but go for
ward to Win the attention. the
faith Of men III the truths Which
II attcStcd What became of them
personally did not matter. If they
succeeded 1t would be in the
strength Of the risen Jesus. If
they failed, the mighty risen one
who could not be held by dea,h.
would succeed. ThCer Is was, ever
before them, the lnvlgorating TACT
that He had broken forth from
the grave as He had said He
would and it only remained for
them. AS II remains for us in this
hour. TO DO Justice TO the evlden-
tial power OF His great resurrec-
ton
Paul maintains the lcSurrectlon
OF Jesus TO be bound up With
Christianity. that to dCny it is not
simply to cut its most important
incident right out of the heart of
the Christian creed. but that it is
to part with Christianity as a
whole
If Christ be not risen from the
dead. then is our preaching vain,
and your faith is also vain.
Deny the resurrection. and
Christianity collapseS altogether
as certainly as IAN arch collapses
when its keystone is removed. and
IN place of Your Conqueror of
Death and the Rcdecmcr of Souls.
there remains only a Jewish rab-
hi. whose story has been strangely
woven with legend. ana some OF
whose sayings arc undoubtedly
entitled to attention.
But conversely admit the re-
Continued on Pace g.