First Entry For The A to Z Blogging Challenge....
On that
morning a handful of women wound their way to the
garden tomb. They carried containers of spices and ointments.
And they were laden down with grief. Jesus, their
Though they knew a boulder blocked the opening of the grave; they were coming with the hope that someone would roll it away. When they arrived, what they saw made them gasp. The stone was gone! The entrance was open!
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| Cover Page Design:. Back to the bible India/Vasanth Kumar |
Lord, was
dead and they were coming to anoint His body.
—b y G. Roger
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| Pic. Credit: raichinger sxc.hu |
Though they knew a boulder blocked the opening of the grave; they were coming with the hope that someone would roll it away. When they arrived, what they saw made them gasp. The stone was gone! The entrance was open!
As they entered the tomb they saw what appeared to be a young man wearing white.
He spoke to
the
bewildered women: “Do not be amazed” (Mark 16:6). And then he delivered the
first Easter sermon. In the dark hollow tomb he proclaimed the five
affirmations of Easter.
He Lives !
The
angel began at the point of their
experience. “ ‘You are looking for Jesus…He is not here. See the
place
where they laid him.’ “But along with the obvious, he added something new—news
heard for
the
first time. He told them plainly,
”
He has risen!”
Three words. Three
historical words. Words that form the foundation of our faith. Words of life
and hope.
Every
week we gather to celebrate these words and to worship the living Christ. We
heartily sing words
such
as “Up from the grave He arose” and “He
rose triumphantly, in power and majesty.” We nearly shout it,
“Jesus
Christ lives!”
And
because Jesus lives, we live. We
experience the results of His atoning death. We enjoy His daily
presence.
And we have His immeasurable power
working inside of us to mould us into His image and to
help
us win our daily battles with temptation.
He Sends Us Out !
The
second affirmation takes us outside of ourselves. Again, the angel said it
plainly. “Go, tell, he exhorted. Speaking for the Lord, he gave them a
commission to spread the good news.
We
express our belief in the resurrection not only with our hearts but with our
feet. By sharing the resurrection story with others we fulfill the will of God.
To
me the most vivid picture of resurrection is not a tourist’s photograph of the
garden tomb. It is the
portrait
John’s Gospel paints of Peter and John racing to the empty grave. We see their robes flying in the wind. They
run with a purpose. We see Peter’s face—eager, excited. Resurrection reminds us
of our
highest
purpose. Life is more than eating, sleeping, working and playing. It is even
more than enjoying
God’s
love and forgiveness. What matters most is that we take seriously His command
to “ ‘go into all
the
world and preach the good news to all creation.’ “
We
have to tell it every where to everyone. That Jesus is alive. Sincerely expressing
a word of concern,
sharing
what God has done for us, offering encouragement, performing a thoughtful deed—these
are
some
of the ways we can make known the reality of resurrection.
He Goes before Us !
He
sends us out, but not alone. The angel
told the women, “ “He is going ahead of you,” And so the
third
affirmation of Easter is the promise of His leadership.
The
empty tomb means we can have confidence in the future. We know that when we get
to tomorrow
or
next year, Jesus Christ will be already there. When trouble comes or tragedy
strikes, Jesus knows of it
beforehand.
He abides both in the present and in the future.
The
disciples discovered this when they were fishing on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus
called from the
shore,
telling them where to throw their nets. Then He called them to the campfire and
the breakfast He
had
prepared for them. Heaven will be like that. When we arrive we will find our
Host ready and waiting for us.
Jesus
lives to guide us through dark valleys
and so lead us beside still waters. He lives to lead us in
paths
of righteousness. We serve a risen Shepherd!
He Reveals Himself !
The
angel told the women that if the disciples went to Galilee, they would see
Jesus. He would reveal Himself to them. The fourth affirmation of resurrection,
then, is the possibility of having a personal
experience
with Jesus Christ—wecan know Him.
Outside
the tomb, Mary of Magdala met Jesus. She thought He was a gardener. But Jesus
revealed His
identity
to her. She saw Him as the Lord.
And
remember the two men who walked along the Emmaus Road with a Stranger. That
evening, as He
blessed
the meal, their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus.The risen Christ is
not hiding. He
desires
to make Himself known to anyone who will
“confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God
raised Him from the dead” (Romans 10:9).
Resurrection
means we can know Jesus as personal Saviour and Lord. That is why a popular
resurrection song end with the words:
You
ask me how I know
He
lives?
He
lives within my heart.
He Keeps His Word !
Jesus
said He would be crucified and buried and on the third day would arise. Through
the prophets
God
said it repeatedly in the Old Testament. And Jesus said it three times during
the week prior to His
death.
By
rising from the dead He proved to us He would be trusted. The angel reminded
the women of this
when
he added the words” “Just as he told you” (Mark 16:7).
Resurrection
means affirming the faithfulness of God. It means taking fresh hold on the
promises
of
God—promises about His help in times of temptation, promises about His going to
prepare a place for us in heaven. Promises about His return. Friends will let us down. At times our own
family will fail us. But not Jesus. We can count on Him.
For
some, the story of resurrection is new.
But that is not true for mostof us. We have heard it over and
over.
But how good to hear it again!
Five affirmations that lift us and
carry us forward: Jesus lives! He
sends us out! He goes before us!
He
reveals Himself! He keeps His word!
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