12-1-2018

Good Morning All,

         Romans 8:34; “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

          I remember one of those brain teaser problems a few years back.  It was a list of about 25-30 instructions.  Most of them were silly and embarrassing; things like “stand on one foot and sing ‘Twinkle, Twinkle.”  The trick was that the first instruction told you to read ALL the instructions before you did anything else.  Instruction #22 told you to only follow instructions 1, 22 and the last one which told you to sit quietly.  Those who read and followed the directions would sit quietly.  Those who chose just to start doing the list did anything but sit quietly; they would sing and dance and twirl around.

     Sometimes, we read the Bible like this.  We don’t read it all the way through and we only see parts of it.  We tend to focus on the death of Jesus.  We tend to focus on his suffering and then his dying.  While this is a significant event, the Son of God dying in your place, it is only part of the story.  We really shouldn’t separate Good Friday from Easter but we do.  We should look at the time from Good Friday until Easter morning as one continuous event.  Jesus’ death is important but so is his resurrection. 

    Jesus’ resurrection is the sign that Jesus’ words are true and are valued and accepted by the Father in heaven.  It is also the preview to our future when Jesus returns.  We get a glimpse of our perfected bodies.  The resurrection gives us hope.  The resurrection reveals to us what God’s promise to us looks like.

   The resurrection of Jesus also means that he is not dead but that he lives in heaven, with the Father, and pleads and intercedes for us.  We often ask others to pray for us but do we ever stop and realize that Jesus is also praying for us?  What a comforting thought this should be!!  The Son of God prays for you all the time.  

    So as we look with joy at what Jesus has done for us.  We look not only at his death but at the death and resurrection, together as one great mercy given to us.  Through this event we have the forgiveness of sins and the promise of the resurrection.  Through this event, we ca live with the certainty of our life eternal. 

    So don’t stop with “Jesus died for me!” but continue on with “Jesus rose for me that I might have life!”  Because it is by his glorious resurrection that we have the promise sealed by his blood and given to us by the Father.  This makes this event joyful and worth celebrating.  Jesus lives and he lives so that you and I may have life and have it abundantly.

Father of all good things; grant to us your Spirit that we may live in the wonders of your mercy.  Keep us alive in your grace.  Guide us to rejoice in the living Savior who reigns with you.  Be with those who are lost and suffering.  Be with those who are in pain.  Comfort them and give to them the hope of life eternal.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret