What a beautiful day our Lord gave us to celebrate the resurrection. We first attended a sunrise service. It was a bit crisp, but clear and the sun shone on the nearby snow-covered Cabinet Mountains as we sang joyous songs of the miraculous resurrection of our Savior. As we did, we could also hear all sorts of birds singing as if they too were excited for the beautiful morning, celebrating life. Nearby trees showed swollen buds and were ready to burst forth with new spring growth after a cool winter of dormancy. The grass had begun turning green. Everything spoke of, and was a reflection of, our life-giving Creator and Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ “who was delivered up because of our transgressions and raised because of our justification” (Ro. 4:25).  The resurrection was proof that our sins had been paid for. God’s holiness and  justice were satisfied (propitiated). Had there been no risen Christ, then we, as Paul said, would still be in our sins, our faith would be worthless and we, of all men, would be “most to be pitied” (I Cor. 15:17-19), “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive” (vv. 20,21).