To My Flock at Marion:
Showers of Hope
We have made it! The Lenten journey has ended, the time of walking with Jesus through the trials and tribulations of Holy Week are over; it’s time to celebrate Resurrection. I know that in this time of lock-down and despair in our nation we might not feel much like celebrating. There is sadness all around us. We can’t help but be grieved for the families and feel the sadness of so much loss. At the time when things look the bleakest is exactly when we need to be reminded of Resurrection Day. Our Easter scripture comes from John 20: 1-18. Mary Magdalene arrives at the tomb of Jesus to find that the stone had been removed from the entrance, so she ran back to tell Peter and the other disciples that someone had taken the body of Jesus. Mary was grieving; all that she could see and think of is death, the loss of a loved one. It was Easter morning but there was so much pain and anguish over the events of recent days that she was trapped in a cycle of grief. I think that all of us find ourselves in this same cycle. During this season of Lent, we have become accustomed to bad news and the sadness that has gripped our world. On Easter morning, we must shake ourselves out of this attitude and rejoice in the truth of the day. He is Risen! He is Risen, indeed.
From my devotional: We occasionally read moving stories of natural disasters where someone who was thought to have perished is found alive. What a moment! In the blink of an eye, sadness and despair are replaced with joy and celebration. From “death” to life is a moment never to forget, a moment to cherish forever. As amazing as such reunions are, they don’t remove the fact that a different separation awaits us all – the separation of death. And many live in fear of death their whole lives, just as many are living with that fear right now. But no one needs to live in such fear. The miracle of the resurrection we celebrate this Sunday means that an eternal reunion awaits all who die in Christ. As Jesus told His friends Mary and Martha, “He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live”. In our scripture from the gospel of John we see a dramatic change in Mary Magdalene. She goes from grief stricken and depressed, seeking to find the body of her Lord, to excited and ecstatic in the realization that Jesus is alive. He is risen! He is risen, indeed. Everything has changed. Everything is different. Despair has given way to hope, the hope of eternal life.
In 1 Peter 2:24 we read: He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. His wounds are our healing; his death is our salvation; his resurrection is new life for us who are healed. Our Lenten journey is ended, but not yet complete. Hopefully, we are being renewed to “live to righteousness”. This day brings showers of hope to all who have lost a loved one, and showers of hope for our own eternal life. I have two thoughts for this Easter Sunday. They come partially from my daily readings, but they reflect the heart that God has given me for the church and for the lost. A question, have you experienced showers of hope through faith in Christ? If not, I am sure that the world around you right now looks bleak. I invite you to celebrate two resurrections this Easter: Christ’s and your own. Jesus stands before you with His arms wide open, ready to accept you, just as you are. Because He lives, you can live eternally.
For those of us already secure in the arms of Jesus, it is time for our mourning to end; our Savior is risen. Some Christians, it’s been said, are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good. Let it not be said of us! This Easter is a day of rejoicing and of renewal. May it be a day of new beginnings as we who are healed make it our goal to die to sin and live to righteousness. This is our challenge as we continue toward our final resurrection. Christ is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Believe it, and live it each and every day.
Reflect: Reflect on the new life you have in Christ.
Pray: Help me each day, Living Lord, to be your Easter follower, dying to sin and living to righteousness. Amen.
In Christ’s Love and Peace
Pastor Bob
12 April 2020
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