Jesus Alive! (John 20:18)

Today’s Readings: John 20:11-18

Mary Magdalene obeyed and went directly to His disciples.
Mary Magdalene (announcing to the disciples): I have seen the Lord, and this is what He said to me . . .

Each time Carole, LeeAnn, my daughter, or Ashley, my daughter-in-law, became pregnant I was beside myself. To become a father and grandfather is a really big deal for me. Whether the first, second, third, fourth,. . . it doesn’t matter. Every time, I turn into a kid opening that very special gift at Christmas. You know, the one you asked for all year long and you waited with bated breath and knew it would appear under the tree on Christmas morning. Then there it was and you couldn’t wait to rip open the paper and get to it.

Multiply that feeling by a thousand or so and that begins to describe how I feel every time I found out about another progeny joining the family tree. I love my kids. They are the best. And I love my in-laws because my kids picked them with God’s help. And I describe my grandkids and God’s gift to me for not killing my kids when they were teenagers!

I had difficulty containing the information, though. I wanted to stand on roof tops and street corners and shout the news, but they wanted to hold on to the information until it made the family circle in the right sequence. Mothers and fathers, in-laws, brothers and sisters, close friends, all those special people had to know first so they didn’t get the news second-hand. Man, it was hard to not blast out the information across the internet in all the public forums I knew.

I imagine that’s how Mary Magdalene felt that first Easter morning. I expect she had a hard time making it all the way to the house where the disciples hid without telling everyone she met, “Jesus is alive! I’ve seen Him! He talked to me this morning!” I can imagine the excitement, the fear, the joy all mixed together as she ran to tell those men gathered together wondering what they needed to do next.

Three days earlier they watched Him breathe His last. Three days earlier they watched the soldiers roughly pull His hands and feet from the nails that held Him to the cross. Three days earlier they watched Him crumble to the ground in a heap and watched Nicodemus come with the paper from Pilate allowing him to claim Jesus body. Three days earlier they helped Nicodemus take the bruised, bleeding, broken body of their Master to the tomb and quickly wrapped Him in linen burial cloth. Three days earlier they watched soldiers roll a massive stone in front of the tomb and seal it with Pilate’s official seal.

This was a new day, however. Mary came to anoint the Anointed. She came to finish what she could not complete before the Sabbath. She came expecting to challenge the guards to open the tomb and let her in. She came expecting to see the decaying shell of her dead rabbi. She came expecting to fight the sight and smell of death to give proper respect to the man she followed for those many months.

Instead, Mary saw soldiers stunned and lying on the ground. She saw a tomb burst open from the inside. She saw heavenly messengers lounging in an empty vault. She saw grave linens collapsed on the bier and the napkin covering His face lying apart from the rest of the cloths. She saw things not as they should appear, confused in her mind. She knelt at the tomb stunned that grave robbers could do their work so quickly with guards standing by. She wondered at the messengers and why they could not protect her Lord. She wanted to see the shell of the man she followed.

Instead she heard His voice, turned around, and got the news she could not contain. Like the news I heard from Carole, LeeAnn, and Ashley, Mary heard news she wanted to shout from the housetop. She heard her Master’s voice. She turned and saw Him. . .risen. . .alive! And so she ran to tell those who needed the message most at that moment. The disciples. His closest friends. His followers. He is risen!

Shout the news! Let everyone know! He is alive!

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard

Don’t Be Afraid (Matthew 28:5,10)

Today’s Readings: Proverbs 28-31; Matthew 28

What verse would you pick to talk about from Matthew 28? Most of the sermons I’ve heard and preached come from verses 19-20: “Go make disciples.” The Great Commission Jesus gives all of us. Be witnesses for Him throughout the world. But as I read this chapter today, it came to me that we must first take to heart the words from God’s messenger and His Son in verses 5 and 10 before we can make disciples.

What did they say? Don’t be afraid! That was hard for Mary and Mary Magdalene when they approached the tomb and saw the angel. Here sat a heavenly being, shining like the sun on top of the stone that sealed the tomb where Jesus lay. Or should I say used to seal the tomb where Jesus used to lay. The guards where face down on the ground trembling and terrified. These guards ready to take on any enemy couldn’t even raise their heads from the ground they were so scared.

Why? When the angel touched the earth, the whole earth shook. This radiant being, too brilliant to look upon, moved the rock, too large for the guards to move, by himself. He didn’t take Jesus out, he just showed them the empty tomb. I expect a couple of those strapping young men fainted dead away. All of them fell to the ground. None of them dared take on this magnificent figure. What did the angel do? Just moved the rock and sat down to wait to tell his story to the two Marys he knew were on their way to the tomb. Probably sang a song or two. Might have said, “Boo!” just for kicks. And the guards were paralyzed in place.

When the women came to the tomb, they saw the scene and were also terrified at the sight and were met with calming words, “Don’t be afraid. He’s risen. Just as He told you.” The angel gave them instructions and they were off to obey them with joy in their hearts. The guards were off, too, to try to save their necks for letting their dead prisoner escape!

Jesus met the women in the graveyard. How would that feel? Unrecognizable at first because the last time they saw Him, He was covered in blood from head to toe. His head garnished with a crown of thorns, His body ripped apart by the scourging with Roman whips laced with lead and broken glass. The remembrance of Jesus pictured the horrors inflicted upon the flesh of the crucified. But the One who stood before them was the Son of God whole, healed, complete, perfect except for the scars in His hands, feet, and side. The remembrances He chose to keep as our visible reminders of His love for us.

He tells them, “Don’t be afraid.” In a world that will hate you, don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid to speak My Name. Don’t be afraid to take up for the underdog. Don’t be afraid to share My peace and joy. Don’t be afraid to stand up against evil and wrong. Don’t be afraid to live as I want you to live. Don’t be afraid of what the world might say or do to you. Don’t be afraid of failure or success, because the world’s definitions are all wrong; just follow Me. Don’t be afraid of the storms. Don’t be afraid of the dark. Don’t be afraid of the past. Don’t be afraid of the future. Put your foot in My footprint and don’t be afraid.

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard

Biased Arguments (Acts 23:7)

Today’s Readings: Hosea 10-14; Acts 22:30-23:10

Paul used prejudice to save his own skin this time. Hauled into the Jews court, he got himself in big trouble by insulting the High Priest, not knowing he was talking to the High Priest. Everyone suddenly turned against him until he declared himself a Pharisee and brought before the court because he preached his belief in a coming resurrection. The court being made of Pharisees who believed in a future resurrection and the Sadducees who did not, turned the court’s focus  against each other instead of toward him.

Again, we see how people’s prejudice can overwhelm them to the point of the ridiculous. We lose all sight of what’s important and focus on trivia that totally consumes us. The sad part of the story is how easily Paul did it. Just a few words about resurrection and a debate broke out between the two factions that soldiers intervene to keep the peace.

How easy is it for someone to draw us away from the truth bringing up insignificant points from another argument? Have you ever thought about that? Are you ever pulled out of the important and into the insignificant because of your bias and prejudice? Do you get pulled into meaningless arguments with no purpose and no reason? Paul started this one to save his neck knowing the debate between the two factions would escalate so quickly they would likely forget all about him.

Be careful in your daily life that you don’t get drawn into useless debate. Don’t let others manipulate you by way of your biases and prejudices. Stop and use your brain. Think through the facts of situations apart from the rumor, name-calling, twisted tales, rabbit chasing, and all that goes with prejudicial manipulation. Don’t let your biased lens get in the way of facts. See the situation from all sides (including God’s), then do what is right!

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard

He Has Risen Indeed! (Luke 24:34)

Today’s Readings: Jeremiah 9-11; Luke 24

The crucifixion is over. The tomb is sealed. Three days passed. The high priest placed guards on the tomb to make sure no one would tamper with His body. The dawn just begins to push the night away. Three women gather baskets of spices and to move toward the garden to begin the work of properly preparing His body in its final resting place. They dread the work, but it must be done. They almost threw Him in the tomb last week. No time to wash the blood off. No time to properly wrap Him and put spices and oils in the cloth. The Sabbath rushed their work. It took time to gather the supplies. But today, they will prepare Him properly. The women move somberly to the tomb. Perhaps the guards will be kind enough to help them move the stone for this final act of kindness to a remarkable man. Even the captain recognized His goodness.

“Was the sun playing tricks on them? Had someone really taken Him? How had the guards been overpowered? Where they part of the plot? Who could do such a thing? Where have they taken Him? Why would they desecrate His final resting place? Can’t they leave Him alone, even in death?” Such were the thoughts running through the women’s heads as they saw the gaping hole in the hillside and picked up their pace to the entrance.

Then they saw the two men, dazzling in appearance. “Don’t be afraid. Who are you looking for? Why do you look for the living in a cemetery? He’s not here. He is risen, just like He said. He’s alive. Death can’t hold the Son of Man. A tomb can’t keep the King of kings. Jesus, the One who loves you and gave His life for you is victor over sin and death and the grave. Go tell the other disciples.”

They did!

The story has never been silenced despite every effort to do so. Have you told anyone lately?

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard

Mustard Seed (Luke 13:19)

Today’s Readings: Isaiah 40-41; Luke 13

Jesus said… “the kingdom of God is like a single mustard seed that someone took and planted in his garden. That tiny seed grew and became a tree so large that the birds could fly in and make their nests in its branches.” (The Voice)

Jesus often talked about seeds when talking about the kingdom. He talked about sowers spreading seed. He talked about planting seeds and those seeds dying to raise a harvest. It’s this last point and this mini-parable that interests me about Jesus’ comparison of a mustard seed and the kingdom of God.

We hear about heaven and all of its splendor, but the kingdom of God is obviously more than just heaven because Jesus talked about the kingdom arriving with His arrival. So we know the kingdom of God is where God is which encompasses everything and everywhere. But the mustard tree doesn’t exist until the mustard seed is buried, dies, sprouts, and grows. The tree then produces more seed. So what is Jesus saying to us today that we can apply to our everyday life?

First, I think He points to His own death and resurrection and the growth of the kingdom through His followers and the church. His single “mustard seed” spread in ways that can only be attributed to God and is represented by the tree large enough to house birds and their nests. But then, those early followers also gave their lives. They died to self and committed themselves fully and completely to God to produce an ever growing kingdom to spread His message from generation to generation.

We, then, have the same responsibility. As the message came to us, we must commit ourselves fully and completely to God. We must, like the mustard seed, die to self and live for the kingdom. As we dissolve in the soil of God’s grace and nurturing, we spread His love aboard in our homes, our neighborhood, our offices and communities to demonstrate His kingdom on earth. When we turn ourselves over to Him, we are changed inside as completely as the seed is changed to a tree. God will use us in extraordinary ways we may never even be aware to further His plan for those around us. All we need to do is trust Him.

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard