May our Lord fill you with His everlasting peace and His overwhelming resurrection power!
Tag Archives: Resurrection
Look Up
I am always struck by two of the resurrection passages.
“But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away” (Mark 16:4). “In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee…’” (Luke 24:5-6)
The clear message is “Look up!” In looking up we see Jesus – alive, reigning and in charge. (1)
So on this Easter Sunday, look up. Annie Johnson Flint has stated it eloquently in her poem “I Look Not Back.”
I look not back: God knows the fruitless efforts,
The wasted hours, the sinning, the regrets;
I leave them all with Him, who blots the record,
And graciously forgives and then forgets.
I look not forward: God sees all the future,
The road, that short or long, will lead me home,
And He will face me with its every trial,
And bear with me the burdens that may come.
I look not round me: Then would fears assail me,
So would the tumult of earth’s restless seas;
So dark the world, so filled with woe and evil,
So vain the hope of comfort and of ease.
I look not inward: That would make me wretched,
For I have naught on which to stay my trust;
Nothing I see save failure and shortcomings
And weak endeavors, crumbling into dust.
But I look up: Into the face of Christ,
For there my heart can rest, my fears are stilled,
And there is joy, and love, and light for darkness.
And perfect peace, and every hope fulfilled.
Today look up and receive the peace of Christ.
(1) Picture from: itsabouttimebook.com
Centered
Blessed Easter! The Bible is filled with innumerable resurrection passages. What pulsates in my heart this year is Ephesians 2:16-17 — “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”
Because Jesus rose from the dead we have a center of eternity. Some young children were asked to write what they believed about death. Gilda, age 8, wrote, “When you die they put you in a box and bury you in the ground because you don’t look too good.” Stephanie, aged 9, said, “Doctors help you so you won’t die until you pay their bill.” 9 year old Marsha wrote, “When you die, you don’t have to do homework in heaven unless your teacher is there too.” And Raymond, aged 10, said, “A good doctor can help you so you won’t die, A bad doctor sends you to heaven.” The truth is, we all want to know what’s going to happen – maybe even when. And that’s an important question. After all, as Rick Warren points out, we’ll spend more time in eternity than we will here on earth. In his words, “This is just the first inch of the yardstick. This is preschool for what’s going to happen in eternity.” (1)
But what do we know for sure? It is certainly possible to postpone death, but not to avoid it. But with Jesus on the throne our lives are centered on a new hope: Easter reduces death from a destination to a passage. Death is not an end but a thoroughfare.
In Herman Melville’s great classic Moby Dick (2,) one of the most beloved people on the ship is named Queequeg.
One day he became seriously ill, and although he recovered, it made him think about his future. So he requested a coffin to be made in the shape of a canoe. The ship’s carpenter did so. Near the end of the story, the whale, Moby Dick, capsized the boat. Ishmael, the storyteller, found himself floundering in the water, now prey for the sharks. Suddenly a ‘black bubble’ burst up from the water, lifted by its own buoyancy. It was the canoe shaped coffin. Ishmael climbed into it, where he floated for a day and a night, until he was rescued by a passing ship. What an image! Because of Easter, our coffins are nothing more than canoes bearing us from this world to the next.
Winston Churchill (3) had it right. He pre-arranged his own funeral. After the benediction he had arranged for a bugler high in the dome of the Cathedral on one side to play “Taps”, the universal signal that the day was over. But then, after a long pause, a bugler on the other side began to play “Reveille”, the signal for the beginning of a new day. It was Churchill’s way of proclaiming that we who are left behind say “Good night” while others in heaven are saying, “Good morning.” Easter is the New Year’s Day of the soul!
Because Jesus rose from the dead, life is the climax of death. The Apostle John wrote: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (Revelation 21:1-4 New Living Translation) Life is the climax of death.
Steve McQueen (4) was a renowned actor who led a life as tough as the one he portrayed on the screen. He was extremely successful until alcohol and a failed marriage left him empty. Out of sheer desperation he attended a crusade conducted by a Billy Graham associate. McQueen made a profession of faith and asked if it would be possible to meet Dr. Graham. Arrangements were made and eventually Dr. Graham met with McQueen in the actor’s limousine. McQueen just wasn’t sure that God could give eternal life to someone with such a checkered past. Dr. Graham pointed him to Titus 1:2: “…a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time…” He asked Dr. Graham to write it down, but Dr. Graham instead gave him the whole Bible. Later, McQueen died in Mexico while seeking experimental treatment for his cancer. He passed into eternal life with his Bible open and his finger on that verse. Life is the climax of death. So Jesus said (John 14:1-3 NLT), “Don’t be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” Life is the climax of death. As a great Easter hymn proclaims, “Soar we know where Christ has led…Following our exalted Head. Made like Him, like Him we rise. Ours the cross, the grave, the skies.” Life is the climax of death.
At the end of the movie, Jesus of Nazareth, Peter stares into the empty tomb (5) and says, “Now it all begins.”
It begins right now. New life! New power! New hope! For Jesus lives! No matter your situation today, no matter what condition you are in – you can come to the throne, where Jesus offers so much more. Give yourself to Jesus, our resurrected Lord, who sits on the throne. I invite you to discover life, and be prepared for eternity. Let this Easter day be the New Year’s Day of your soul!
(1) Rick Warren, What Difference Does Easter Make?, from Preaching Today.com (https://www.preachingtoday.com/sermons/sermons/2005/august/223.html)
(3) Churchill – Image by <a href=”https://pixabay.com
(5) Tomb picture by Barb Pikkaart
It’s Morning
It’s so wonderful to celebrate Easter in our beautiful church facilities with dear friends and precious family. Often Easter Sunday worship is one of the highlight services of the year. But such surroundings also make it easy to forget the context of the first Easter morning. As the women approached the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body, life was filled with despair and chaos. Jesus’ followers feared reprisal from the rulers. They had lost their purpose and power. They were confused about their future, uncertain about how to make sense of Jesus. Rome was still in power; their Messiah hadn’t delivered. Their greatest hope, their faith in Jesus, had led to embarrassing, humiliating defeat. The world and their lives seemed out of control. What hope did they have? All seemed lost. They wondered if following Jesus would make a difference.
We are familiar with the chaos and despair of life. Death and defeat are more evident every day. Financial ruin and hardship increase in frequency, broken relationships are in the rise, acts of terror and murder fill the headlines. There are more unexplained illnesses and uncontrolled diseases than ever before. There’s more bullying, more hatred, more broken relationships. Morality and behavioral standards are on a fast, seemingly unstoppable decline. There are more raging wars, famines, natural disasters, nuclear threats, unjust rulers, and horrific persecutions. We look at our current political landscape and wonder if there is anyone worthy of office. It’s easy to throw up our hands in despair – feeling powerless to do anything. We consign ourselves to thinking the end is near, there’s nothing we can do. It all directs our attention to a world seemingly out of control. Is following Jesus possible? If so will it make a difference? We understand the despair of the disciples.
But for the disciples then came the morning. Jesus was alive. Evil had not triumphed. The darkness of night did not last forever. Rome had not won. Hope was not lost. Jesus had won – He would soon ascend to Heaven to take up His power and reign forever. Ephesians 4:7 reminds us “When he ascended on high, he took many captives… (Col. 2:15 GNT) “And on that cross Christ freed himself from the power of the spiritual rulers and authorities; he made a public spectacle of them by leading them as captives in his victory procession.”
Even when we cannot see the evidence around us, JESUS REIGNS – FOREVER AND EVER. He is on the throne and He will have His way. He rules the world with ultimate power and a just, loving heart. Everything is on a path to bring about one final morning when every knee shall bow – in heaven and on earth and under the earth – and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. On that morning there will be a new heaven and a new earth and a new day. (Is. 2:4 & 11:6-8) “He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plow shares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore…The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea… (Rev. 21:3-4) “God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
The morning makes all the difference. Because of Easter morning, we live with “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1 RSV)
Carol was a church organist. One Easter morning her alarm didn’t go off and she didn’t show up for the Easter sunrise service. The next year, at 4:00 A.M. on Easter Sunday, the pastor called Carol. As she sleepily picked up the phone, he said, “Carol, it’s Easter Sunday morning. The Lord has risen, and I suggest you do the same.” Easter morning is our wake-up call!
As Paul firmly challenges us (1 Cor. 15:58 MSG): “With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.” No matter who you are or where you’ve come from or what you’ve done or not done, right now you can begin a new life; your future is glorious. It’s morning. I challenge you to wake up and live!