Daily devotion – 27th April Wednesday 2021.
For this coming Wednesday evening’s prayer service we are restricted to twenty only people able to attend due to the Covid restrictions – excluding media team and others serving.
The Greek Orthodox churches celebrate Easter this week and, like us last year, are sadly restricted in their attendance, reduced to having only 20 people at their Easter services.
Easter is always a precious part of a believers year, and we pray for our Greek brothers and sisters this week in their Easter celebrations.
There is a beautiful story about Easter during Napoleon’s Austrian campaign. His army was just 6 miles out of the town of Feldkirch.
It looked as though his military forces would take the city with little resistance.
But as Napoleon’s army advanced toward Feldkirch, the Christians of the town gathered to pray in their little Church. It was Easter eve.
The following day at sunrise, as was the Easter custom, the bells of the village pealed out across the countryside. Napoleon’s army, not realizing it was Easter Sunday, thought that in the night the Austrian army had moved into the town of Feldkirch and that the cities bells were ringing in jubilation of their arrival.
Napoleon ordered a retreat, and the battle of Feldkirch never eventuated. The Easter bells caused the enemy to flee, and peace reigned in the Austrian countryside!
Every Easter, churches and cathedrals worldwide ring their bells – not to sound Christ’s death knell but to declare Christ’s victory over death.
He is the risen Lord, and because of Him, our final enemy – death – has been defeated, and peace reigns in our hearts!
Praise the Lord!