Easter is a really big deal in the Christian faith. Bunnies and eggs aside, it’s probably the biggest holiday, with Christmas, for all eternity. Years ago, while serving in what was then the southern USSR, I (Doug) made friends with a then-diesel mechanic who eventually became my constant sidekick (partly because the handful of local Christian leaders was afraid I’d mess something up). Years later, that diesel mechanic is still pastoring the local church that God raised up in our midst. It was the stuff of miracles — in a crazy, chaotic time that saw the world’s largest country break up into some 15 different republics. The place where *we* happened to be living because Ukraine. And the diesel mechanic ended up becoming the pastor of a church that grew to include hundreds (maybe one thousand) members. He writes every Easter, like clockwork, to say those famous words, “Christ is risen.” I’m supposed to answer, “He is risen indeed.” It’s a huge deal. If Jesus had *not* risen, where would we be? As lost as the deep blue sea. We wouldn’t stand a snowball’s chance in … well… Hell. Because that’s where we’d be. So grateful. So thankful. So praising God for Easter. So Zhenya, Christ *is* risen: He is risen indeed.
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