Vital signs- Friday, April 15th, 2022

"And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.”

(1 Corinthians 15:14)

I heard of a time back when haircuts were 50 cents, back in the olden days. A preacher went into the barbershop and got a haircut, and he started to pay the barber. The barber said, “No, that’s all right. You’re a pastor. I’m not going to charge you.” The pastor said, “No, I want to pay.” The barber said, “No, I will come listen to you preach, and I’ll take it out in preaching.” The pastor said, “I don’t have any 50-cent sermons.” The barber said, “That’s okay. I’ll come twice.” I want to tell you that a sermon that does not affirm the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a profitless, worthless exercise in futility.

• Why are Christian preaching and the Christian faith empty if Christ has not been raised from the dead?

• How would you answer another Christian who says the reality of the resurrection doesn’t matter very much?

Make a list of ways the resurrection impacts our lives each day as Christians and gives us hope for the future.