Dear Christian friends:

Two hundred years ago many of our fathers came from the old world in Europe here to America to begin a new life. They wanted to escape the problems and troubles of the old country and begin new here. But they did not really get free. They found the same problems and troubles here in America. People are the same no matter where they live and sin is the same.

You can't really begin a new life by moving from one city to another. Some people say, "We will move to California and begin a new, better life. Unless they change their heart and spirit they will not really have a new life.

We can begin a new life without moving to a new city or state. I think many of us want a better life. We have made a mess by our sins and mistakes.

In our text St. Paul shows that to Us. Why? Because Christ our Easter Lamb was sacrificed for us. "Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world" have mercy upon us. In the Old Testament the lamb was the chief offering animal. People put their hands on the head of a Lamb. That meant their sins were put on the Lamb. The lamb did nothing wrong, but the people did. Then the innocent lamb was killed, its blood shed. The lamb was punished instead of the people and the people were forgiven and freed to live. By this God prophesied of Jesus, His Son. Jesus His Son is the One, real, Lamb of God. He offered Himself upon the cross. He shed His blood. He suffered our punishment for us. And on Easter morning rose from death to show that He is God's Son and that God has forgiven all our sins.

When we hear about that and see how the holy, innocent Jesus loved us and offered His life and blood to pay for our sins. That should make us very shocked and sorrowful about our sins. That should encourage us to confess our sins and believe that God forgives for Jesus' sake.

Not only that it should help us die to sin or as our text says get rid of the old yeast and be a new dough. That means to give up the old vain and proud, selfish ways of this sinful world and by His Spirit live a new and better life.

Although Jesus offered Himself upon the cross and died for our sins He did not stay in death. On Easter morning He arose from death and is very much alive even today. As we heard in the Sunrise Service, our God is not dead.

So we should trust in Him and live by His power. By faith in Jesus we are joined with Him in His death. With Him we have died to sin. Paul says, "I am crucified with Christ." "If one died for all, then all have died." Yes, died to sin. And Paul adds, "He did die to sin that they which now live should not anymore live for self, but live for Him who died for them and rose for them.

As we were joined with Him in His death, so we are joined now with Him in His resurrection and His new life. That's what Easter means a new life joined with our dear Savior Jesus. Let us say with St. Paul, "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live and the life which I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and died for me."

So Easter means a new life with Jesus, our living God and Savior. Paul writes in our text: "Let us, then, celebrate our festival, not with old yeast, not with any yeast of vice and wickedness, but with the sweet bread of purity and truth."

Sin is like yeast in bread dough. You know how fast yeast spreads through the whole dough and infects it and makes it rise. Well sin is rotten, fermented like yeast. Sin quickly spreads in a group of people, a family or church or city or nation. Then you have vice and wickedness as our text says. Pride, jealousy, quarreling, fighting, drunkenness and sexual sins.

Easter means stopping that old evil way of the world and changing to God, loving Jesus our living Savior. With His help do the sweet works of purity and honesty.

If we live with such faith and love in Jesus our new life will begin here on earth and never end. Even in old age, sickness and death cannot destroy it. Our God who died for us is alive. We are united with Him by faith. We are united with Him in death and in life forever.

Easter means a new life now here on earth and then forever in heaven.

Amen.