Dear Brothers and Sisters, Prayer will be held at the Brown home.

Our text for Sunday is Matthew 28:1-10. We are now in the final chapter of a gospel we have been working carefully through for more than two years. In this text, women arrive at an empty grave. Though the cross is often the symbol of Christianity, the empty grave is equally precious. In Romans 1:4, Paul says that Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” The scoffers had their say about Jesus, but God has the final say. This also has wonderful implications for all those who have been united with Christ by faith. Our hope of being resurrected is rooted in His resurrection – if we share in His death by faith, through His substitutionary atonement, we will share in His resurrection. This is the picture of baptism. Paul says it this way in Romans 6:3-6, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” It is a fearsome angel that tells the women that Jesus has risen, “just as He said,” and gives them a message for the disciples. As they are on the way to bring the disciples word, Jesus meets them and tells them to rejoice. After days of sorrow, they are brought to rejoicing, and they cling to His feet and worship. The contemplation of this text should produce the same effect in all of His people! I am looking forward to being together on Sunday.

Please pray for Alfredo Litardo and his family. I saw him this morning at Wake Med… he is doing well but the outlook at this point this afternoon is not known. He may or may not have surgery, but this afternoon they will put him in a back brace.

Please pray for us as (David, Taylor, Claudia, Kevin Swanson, Becka Swanson, Anthony Courter and his two daughters) as we leave for Australia/New Zealand/Tasmania on Thursday afternoon. We have received many heartrending letters from the registered attended of the conferences for our ministry there.

Scott Brown

The songs are as follows:

Worship Christ, the Risen King #361 (5 vs)
Rise, O Church, and lift your voices
Christ has conquered death and hell
Sing as all the earth rejoices
Resurrection anthems swell
Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ, the risen King!

See the tomb where death had laid Him
Empty now, its mouth declares:
“Death and I could not contain Him,
For the throne of life He shares”
Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ, the risen King!

Hear the earth protest and tremble
See the stone removed with pow’r
All hell’s minions may assemble
But cannot withstand His hour
He has conquered, He has conquered
Christ the Lord, the risen King!

Doubt may lift its head to murmur
Scoffers mock and sinners jeer
But the truth proclaims a wonder
Tho’tful hearts receive with cheer
His is risen, He is risen
Now receive the risen King!

We acclaim Your life, O Jesus
Now we sing Your victory
Sin and hell may seek to seize us,
But Your conquest keeps us free
Stand in triumph, stand in triumph
Worship Christ, the risen King!

Give thanks
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now, let the weak say “I am strong”
Let the poor say “I am rich”
Because of what the Lord has done for us

Psalm 30 (5 vs)
O Lord, I will exalt you,
For you have lifted me;
My foes You have allowed not
To glory over me.
O Lord my God, I pleaded
That you might heal and save;
Lord, You from death have ransomed
And kept me from the grave.

His saints, O praise Jehovah
And thank His holy name.
His anger lasts a moment,
His grace a whole lifetime.
For sorrow, like a pilgrim,
May tarry all the night,
But then a shout of joy comes
When dawns the morning light.

In prosperous days I boasted,
“Unmoved I shall remain.”
O Lord, You by Your favor
My mount in strength maintain;
For when Your face was hidden,
I soon was troubled sore.
I’ll cry to You, Jehovah;
The Lord I will implore.

Is there in my blood profit
When in the grave I dwell?
Will dust proclaim Your praises,
Your truth and glory tell?
O hear me now, Jehovah!
Be gracious unto me!
You I cry, Jehovah!
O now my helper be!

You now have turned my sorrow
To dancing full of joy;
You loosened all my sack-cloth
And girded me with joy.
To You sing psalms, my glory,
And never silent be!
O Lord my God, I’ll thank You
Through all eternity.

Christ Arose #357 (3 vs)
Low in the grave He lay – Jesus, my Savior!
Waiting the coming day – Jesus, my Lord!
Up from the grave He arose
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes
He arose a victor from the dark domain
And He lives forever with His saints to reign
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Vainly they watch His bed – Jesus, my Savior!
Vainly they seal the dead – Jesus, my Lord!
Up from the grave He arose
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes
He arose a victor from the dark domain
And He lives forever with His saints to reign
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Death cannot keep his prey – Jesus, my Savior!
He tore the bars away – Jesus, my Lord!
Up from the grave He arose
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes
He arose a victor from the dark domain
And He lives forever with His saints to reign
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

I Sing the Mighty Power of God #128 (3 vs)
I sing the mighty pow’r of God that made the mountains rise
That spread the flowing seas abroad and built the lofty skies
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day
The moon shines full at His command and all the stars obey

I sing the goodness of the Lord that filled the earth with food
He formed the creatures with His word and then pronounced them good
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed wher-e’er I turn my eye
If I survey the ground I tread or gaze upon the sky

There’s not a plant or flow’r below but makes Thy glories known
And clouds arise and tempests blow by order from Thy throne
While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care
And everywhere that man can be, Thou, God, art present there