Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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8 UCW APRIL 5 -11, 2017 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM As the month of April unfolds, Christians across the globe are moving toward "Holy Week" and the commemoration of events associated with the last week of Jesus Christ's life on earth. Beginning with Palm Sunday, believers recall Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem leading up to his crucifixion, death, burial and ultimate resurrection celebrated on the following Sunday. One of the most moving accounts associated with the resurrection of Jesus Christ occurred when the women who came to anoint the body of Jesus, who was crucified three days prior, found an empty tomb. Luke 24:1-9 in the New Living Translation describe this sequence of events: But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn't find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, "Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day." Then they remembered that he had said this. So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. This record of the women at the empty tomb became the inspiration for this poetic sharing which ends with the traditional greeting and response heard on the morning of the resurrection: Witness Luke 24:1-9 The account of the women at the empty tomb Though we did not journey with the women In the dark before dawn that first day, Nor were we walking, weeping with them when Two angels spoke, nor did we hear them say, "He is not here but risen as he said; Recall that on the third day he should rise; Why seek you the living among the dead?" Though we did not see with our naked eyes, In our hearts we know God's desire to bless. Though we did not touch Christ nor did we see The open tomb, yet we still bear witness. We have a more sure word of prophecy. By the Spirit, fruit of our Promised Seed, We surely know He is risen, risen, indeed. This year the message of the resurrection resounds once again, as Chuck Swindoll, evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator and radio minister, reminds us, "Our identity as Christians is strengthened as we stand in the lengthening shadows of saints down through the centuries, who have always answered back in antiphonal voice: 'He is risen, indeed!'" Every day, millions of students across America stand, face the flag of the United States, place their right hand over their heart and recite: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." It is a moving moment, a time for a statement of shared values and civic aspirations. To believe in the pledge is to acknowledge that we are one nation committed not just to the concept, but to the practice of justice for all. It is an elusive goal, especially when so many of our low-income families cannot access needed legal services. One of the main sources of legal assistance to our most vulnerable North Carolinians is Legal Aid of North Carolina, which has an office in Fayetteville serving Cumberland, Harnett and Sampson counties. LANC provides vital assistance to people in family law cases involving custody disputes and domestic violence protective orders. It assists in housing issues, protecting tenants, military families and veterans focusing on federal legal rights and resources, and the elderly and disabled in a wide range of civil matters. Most recently, LANC was at the forefront of assisting low-income families and individuals devastated by Hurricane Matthew. Natural disasters affect everyone in their path and the poor are no exception. Competent, timely and accessible legal assistance is never more important than in a time of emergency. Along with the pro bono efforts of private attorneys, the state and local bar associations, LANC is a vital organization to communities across North Carolina, including Fayetteville and Cumberland County. LANC is largely funded through a grant from the Legal Services Corporation, a nonprofit organization established in 1974 and funded primarily through the federal government. Unfortunately, President Trump's budget will eliminate federal funding of the Legal Services Corporation. If the budget is enacted, this would cripple efforts to provide basic legal services to vulnerable citizens. The American Bar Association has joined with a coalition of corporations, law school deans and attorneys across America to protect funding for legal aid. The website HelpLegalAid.org has been set up to promote the legal aid for low-income citizens and to provide a way to voice support in the face of a serious threat of elimination. Justice for all cannot be a mere aspiration recited in a pledge. Support for LANC and legal aid organizations helps make the concept a reality for all the people. BIBLICALLY SPEAKING LEGALLY SPEAKING He Is Risen by DR. LONNELL JOHNSON Justice for All by BILLY RICHARDSON DR. LONNELL JOHNSON, CCBS English Instructor. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 484.6200.. Beginning with Palm Sunday, believers recall Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem leading up to his crucifixion, death, burial and ultimate resurrection celebrated on the following Sunday. KRIS POPPE, N.C. Represen- tative. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200.