Easter Sunday Sermon

If you’ve talked to me since Easter, you’ve probably heard how much I loved Pastor Brad’s Easter Sunday sermon.  Like so many of Brad’s sermons, this one really spoke to me.  It touched me on several levels.

First, he is reminding us that “God gives us life.”  He says you can walk through life in one of two ways; you can think “you deserve everything you have” or you can think “everything you have is a gift.”  I have felt so guilty since my miscarriage that James doesn’t have a sibling, and his third birthday only reminded me that he’s getting older.  I decided while listening to this sermon that I am not going to look at James as ‘my only child that does not have any siblings’, rather James is ‘my happy and healthy gift from God.’

Brad ends the sermon with a story about one of his friends who died from cancer.  The cancer stories get me every time, but this particular cancer patient loved and appreciated every day that he had on earth.  It really touched me to think of how someone could die so peacefully with himself and his family.

Brad says that he went to the hospital right before his friend passed away to pray for him.  And after he prayed, his friend prayed for him.  That is what my grandfather {James’ namesake: James Washington Ratliff} did right before he died.  A minister came to the hospital to pray for my grandfather and afterwards my granddaddy laid his hands on the minister and said “now let me pray for you.”  The minister said he had never had anyone do that in all of his years of prayer.  Justin didn’t have the opportunity to meet my Granddaddy, but I’ve told him before that that particular story sums him up.  He was respectable, giving, witty, humble and I only have the fondest memories of him.

So I started balling in the church at the end of this sermon.  It’s not unusual for me to get choked up during one of Brad’s sermons, but I definitely had snot running from my nose to my mouth.  I was so embarrassed!  However, it’s these humbling moments with The Lord that really seem to make the biggest impact.

Here’s a link to the sermon.  I’m not sure how long it will stay on the website, but someone please let me know if you are not able to listen to it.

I am the Resurrection and the Life