The month of March brings us Easter Sunday, one of the two great celebrations of our faith! Easter is the day that Jesus Christ rose from death, victorious over the final enemy of us all. No wonder Easter is one of the highlights of the year for Christians! I can hear some people saying that Easter is surely a wonder-filled day, with joyful voices singing God’s praise and the sanctuary decorated with beautiful flowers. But, they would quickly add, their favorite Christian holy day must be Christmas! The carols sung and the candles bring hope. The Christmas trees in our homes are decorated and gifts are opened. What a wonderful day!  From our perspective, both Easter and Christmas are inspiring holidays which are anticipated by us all and we don’t need to debate which one is more special. Let’s look at Christmas and Easter a bit differently for a moment. Let’s explore these two great days from God’s point of view. Let’s ask “What did God give us on those two greatest days in human history?” Christmas is the moment that God became present in our midst. That’s what the word “Immanuel” means: “God with us.” Easter’s headline is this: “God has raised Jesus from the dead!” God’s power was on full display, and God proved that he can do life-changing things! Christmas is about God’s presence and Easter is about God’s power.  Presence and Power. God knows what we need as people and as Christians. We need God’s presence to have hope and peace. And we need God’s power to be effective in our service and to live significant lives. Presence and Power. Christmas and Easter. That’s why my benediction, each Sunday at the end of our worship, as we are about to go back into the world, always is this blessing: “May God’s presence and power be with you, now and forever!