April 5
“Christ is not here. He is risen.”

And we are here … Because Christ is risen.

The Church—for 2,000 years—the visible Body of Christ, founded because of the resurrection of Christ. And grounded on the resurrection of Christ. The hope of which Christ’s resurrection speaks has been the catalyst for spiritual and humanitarian endeavors worldwide for two millenia. From hospitals to schools, human dignity to transcendent ethics, the resurrection of Christ has instilled the world with eternal hope and value.

“Christ is not here. He is risen.” We are here … Because Christ is risen.

The Chapel—for 78 years—embracing Northeast Ohio and the world as our canvas upon which we paint the hope of resurrection. So many colors and shades, our mural includes our neighbors and those halfway around the world, one brushstroke is proclaiming Truth and another is living it out tangibly. From Akron to Africa, from the inner city to India, Christ’s resurrection empowers The Chapel to give hope in her world of Akron, Green, Wadsworth, and beyond.

“Christ is not here. He is risen.” We are here … Because Christ is risen.

You—a unique voice and face and person. The resurrection of Christ speaks into your family and relationships and work. The doctor’s report and the daily fears and the wins and losses and the laughter and mortality, all in light of the resurrection. You are called to follow Christ by faith in resurrection-living and be very present because …

“Christ is not here. He is risen.” We are here … Because Christ is risen.

In commenting on Christ’s resurrection, someone wrote that “Christian ethics arise, in great part, out of something Christians claim to have seen that the world has not seen, namely, the creation of a people, a family, a colony, that is a living witness that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

Christ is not here. But we are. And the result ought to be profound. Globally, locally, spiritually, physically, eternally profound.

“Christ is not here. He is risen.”