Good Morning All,
Matthew 28:6; “He is not here, for he
has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay."
Early Sunday morning,
before dawn, the women headed out. They had the spices, the had the perfumes,
they would have had some clothes and water to wash and cleanse the body of
Jesus. Along the way, someone thought about how big the stone was. How do we
move it? But the question suddenly became moot for the stone was moved away.
Worried, they look inside the tomb and see two angels. “Don’t be afraid!” the
angels say. And just like that, everything changed.
The resurrection of Jesus is the greatest
event in the history of mankind, and no one saw it. We saw and continue to see the
aftereffects, we see the ramifications, we see the responses, but no one saw
the event. But it happened, the women knew it, the disciples knew it, the Roman
guards knew it and we know it. Jesus’ resurrection happened and everything changed.
We no
longer are slaves to our sins. We no longer have to live in fear of the devil
or even death. Neither can hold us now. They can try to scare us and cause to
think they are still in charge, but they are not; Jesus has won the victory.
His resurrection removed what power death had over us for now, we too, possess
eternal life. We are like the child who is holding their unopened Christmas present.
The child has it, it is just not opened yet. But that does not detract from the
excitement of the present. It is ours! No one will take it from us! It belongs
to us and when we open it, it will be fantastic! It will be the greatest
present ever received.
With this sure and glorious promise of eternal
life in our hands, we no longer need to fear evil. This was part of the message
to the women by the angels so long ago. Part of it was, “don’t be afraid of us”
but the other part was, “don’t live in fear, live in confidence, live in hope,
live in the certainty that God has redeemed you and brought you home.
So, don’t be afraid. The devil is toothless
against Christ and Christ has claimed you as one of his! Don’t fear the terrors
of the night which can keep us awake; trust in Jesus’ all availing sacrifice and
his resurrection to prevail for us. Christ is risen And you have eternal life
in his name. Christ is risen and you now are beloved children of God, precious
in his sight. Christ is risen and all barriers between you and God are gone! We
can approach the heavenly Father with boldness and comfort. Christ is risen and
hope springs forth and renews us and gives us peace. Christ is risen! He is
risen indeed! Let us go forth in the hope of the Lord.
Father of all eternity,
in giving us your son you gave us life. We give you thanks, praise, and all
honor for this blessed gift. Keep us in your grace that we may walk humbly
before you and that our hearts may be filled with your joy. Shine the light of
your Gospel that all may come to know your peace. Bless your people with your
mercy and let us walk in peace, comfort, and hope. In the precious name of our
risen savior, Jesus, amen!
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.