This just in . . .

(Note: After nearly six years of radio silence on this blog, I am writing again. Join me on the journey, share with your friends, and give me some comments and maybe even writing advice. But be gentle. I am rusty.)

I turned 60 a few months ago, which means I am older than most people. The median age in the USA is about 39, so I am way older than that. I am so old that I remember using punch cards in a computer class in high school. I am so old that I remember when I was the TV’s remote control. I’m so old that I remember when Cosby was cool, not criminal, OJ ran for the 49ers, not for his life, and Caitlyn was a boy on a Wheaties box.

I’m so old I remember fondly the first cast of Saturday Night Live—the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. Those seasons were the best. Well, maybe not the very first season, when Jim Henson’s Muppets had a running feature that was absolutely horrid and maybe the only thing Jim and the Muppets failed at (look it up). But after those very first shows when it caught its stride.

The news update feature has survived through different formats and hosts through all these nearly 50 years. And the one running gag I have remembered for years is, “This just in: Generalissimo Franscisco Franco is still dead.”

The origin of this phrase was that the Spanish dictator Franco had been hanging onto life by a thread and news outlets seemed to be holding a vigil for weeks reporting that he was still alive. Chevy Chase first uttered the famous (and possibly SNL’s first long-lasting) catchphrase soon after Franco’s death in November 1975.

For a twist on this phrase, I’d like to submit the following news bulletin on this day after Easter 2024.

This breaking news just in: Christ is still risen.

Following reports yesterday that the tomb was empty and churches worldwide celebrated with triumphant singing and tears of joy, our sources report that many offices were filled this morning with sad faces and drooping frames as they realized Jesus had not returned to earth, which meant they had to return to work.

If we truly believe that Jesus has risen, that He has been victorious over death, hell, and the grave…if we firmly agree that the same power that rose Jesus from the dead lives in and empowers those who believe in His name…if we wholeheartedly trust that Jesus’ resurrection means that not only do we have eternal life with Him later, but abundant life with Him now…

Then we must agree that a risen Christ means that no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, no matter what trials befall us, no matter what temptations entice us, no matter how slow the traffic is, we can know and celebrate the fact that we serve a risen, living Savior who, by His divine power, “has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3).

So I repeat…

This just in, ladies and gentlemen: Christ is still risen!