By: The Rev. Cathie P. Young

Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! It was Peter Marshall, 20th Century preacher and pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC, who made this observation about the first Easter. “The stone was rolled away from the door, not to permit Christ to come out, but to enable the disciples to go in.” Yes! The stone was rolled away from Christ’s tomb so the disciples could go in, witness the empty tomb, and be spot-on certain that this was a Risen Christ
they served!

Because they were so certain, their witness and their testimony never changed. Throughout the Book of Acts we read the same persuasive testimony over and over again. Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! It is in this context of the Risen Christ that the disciples made their decision in Acts 5 to obey God, not any human authority. In Acts 5:12 we read, “Many signs and wonders were regularly
done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together at Solomon’s Portico.” The apostles had moved from the tomb, to the Upper Room, then to the public square to give witness to the Risen Christ! They would not be silenced or stopped, for they served the Highest Power – a Christ who had defeated death.

Peter said in Acts 5:29 – 30: “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus.” Is this true in our lives? Do we obey God rather than men because we are convinced that God raised Jesus from the dead? Have we moved from the tomb to the Upper Room to the public square? When we become truly convinced that God had power over death, we will not only embrace life but we will defend it … even in the public square.