Easter – Dr. Kirk Lewis

My Lord and My God

Background Passages: John 20:24-29; I Corinthians 15:14-15,17, 19

Nokolai Ivanovich Bukharin was once one of the most powerful men on earth. An ardent communist and a leader in the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, Bukharin became the editor of Pravada, the Soviet newspaper and a full member of the Soviet Politburo.

Bukharin was sent to Kiev in 1930 to deliver a major address on atheism to a huge assembly of Communist Part officials. He spent much of his time attacking Christianity, arguing against its influence and hurling insults at those who embraced it’s beliefs.

When he finished he asked if anyone had a question or comment. After a period of deafening silence a solitary man approached the platform and walked to the microphone. After scanning the crowd. He uttered three words in a strong voice he uttered the traditional greeting of the Russian Orthodox Church. “Christ is risen!”

To the astonishment and embarrassment of Bukharin, the entire assembly rose and shouted in a thundering chorus, “He is risen, indeed!”

Such is the power of Easter. “Christ is risen!”

Of the various accounts of Christ’s resurrection recorded in the gospels, I find myself drawn time and time again not to the reaction of Mary, or Peter and John, or even to the the two men on the Road to Emmaus.

I find in Thomas the most honest response to the resurrection.

If you remember, the followers of Jesus sought comfort from one another in the hours immediately after Jesus’ death and burial. They huddled together in fear of Roman or Jewish retribution. Even after the women reported that they had seen Jesus, the others were slow to grasp its truth.

Then, Jesus appeared among them, revealing his nail scarred hands and feet, munching on a piece of bread, as physically present as he had been the last time they were with him in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Though we are not told why, Thomas was not with them when Jesus first showed himself to the disciples.

It would be within his character to believe the worst. I can see Thomas, the hood of his robe draped low across his face, walking without purpose or direction through the streets of Jerusalem. Hands thrust in his pockets, trying to make sense of the horror he had witnessed from a distance and the things he thought he understood. Where would he go now that everything for which he had hoped was lost?

As he wearily climbs the steps into the upper room where he left the disciples in despair, he hears excited voices and laughter. It was not what he was expecting.

When he enters, John rushes to him, lifts him in a big bear hug, spinning him around, “He is risen! He is risen, Thomas! We’ve seen Jesus! We have seen the Lord!”

I think their excitement confounded Thomas. As they tried to explain what they had seen, none of it made sense. All of it filled him with doubt and anxiety. Finally, Thomas throws up his hands exasperated, confused, maybe even a little embarrassed and guilt-ridden.

He said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

He stewed in that uncertain misery for seven long days, unable to join in the excitement of his friends. John tells us in his gospel…

A week later, the disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them, and said, “Peace be with you!”

For seven days, Thomas probably sat in the corner of the room, listening to the buzz of excitement, hearing the testimony of the two men from Emmaus who very nearly busted the door open in their desire to tell their story.

The cloud that settled over Thomas grew darker every day until Jesus stood again in the middle of the room, greeting all those who saw him and rushed to his side. Can you put yourself in Thomas’ sandals now? Stunned to see the truth that others proclaimed and instantly filled with shame and regret for not believing them.

As Jesus patiently greeted those who swarmed around him, his eyes searched the room for Thomas. Finding him, Jesus quietly excused himself, pushed through the throng and stood before his pessimistic disciple, stretching out his hands.

Then, he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. See my hands. Reach out your hand and put into my side. Stop doubting and believe. Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God.”

Despite his pessimism, despite his struggle to believe, Thomas offered the only response to Jesus that really matters. “My Lord and my God.”

What a superb and perfectly simply declaration of faith. The resurrection matters. “He is risen” is more than a religious catchphrase, it is the cornerstone of all we believe. It is what made Paul lay it on the line with the Corinthian church.

If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then proved to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. (I Corinthians 15:14-15, 17,19)

So what made the difference for this tough and hard-nosed disciple? What precipitated this radical change from skeptic to believer?

Simply, he saw Jesus.

Some consider Jesus response to Thomas’ declaration an admonition of some sort. “Tsk, tsk. You had to see to believe. Such little faith.”

I don’t see it that way. Look at what he said.

Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.”

Jesus rejoiced that for Thomas “seeing was believing.” I think he showed up that day in the upper room for that reason only. To show himself to Thomas. To bring him back into the fold because he wanted and needed Thomas to believe.

Though we may not see Jesus in the flesh as did Thomas, we “see” him in his words recorded in the Bible as they come to life under the inspired presence of his spirit as it convicts us of our need for him. We “see” him in the faith and witness of others whose lives reflect his image.

When we finally “see” him for who he is, our response ought to be the same response proclaimed boldly by Thomas, “My Lord and my God.”

That’s the blessing Jesus refers to at the end of the passage. Blessed, happy and content are those who don’t get the chance to see as Thomas saw and yet still put their faith and trust in him.

I will be far from home on this Easter Sunday, sailing somewhere off the coast of southern Argentina, on a day on which my oldest granddaughter Lena will be baptized because several months ago she “saw” Jesus and made him her Lord and her God.

Thanks to the technology of live streaming, Robin and I will get to rejoice with her in that special moment.

Her testimony of God’s saving grace in Christ Jesus is a blessing to her and to our entire family as we are reminded again that Easter celebrates a risen and living Lord.

“Blessed are those who have not seen (as you did Thomas), but still believed.”

Christ is risen!

The Proper Response to Easter

Background Passages: Philippians 3:9-10; Ephesians 1:19-20; Ephesians 3:20; John 15:5,7

A week after we celebrated Easter with friends and family at our home church, we found ourselves experiencing Easter again while on vacation in eastern Europe. The majority of folks in that part of the world are Eastern Orthodox Christians who use the Julian calendar on which Easter falls one week later than it does in the States.

It was interesting to see and participate in some of their Eastern traditions. One local guide shared with us that they decorate eggs with their children just as we do. When we asked if they hide their eggs for the children to find, she gave us a look of shock and asked, “Why would you do that?” I guess it sounded mean-spirited to her.

Another Croatian family invited us to participate in their traditional “egg war.” To play this game you each hold an egg and tap the two eggs end to end. Usually, one egg will break and the other will not. The one whose egg does not break continues to test the egg against other members of the family. If yours is the last egg unbroken you are assured of one year of good luck. I lost quickly only to find out that our host was using a wooden egg.

The people we visited with indicated they would be attending church at midnight on Easter Eve and then again early Easter morning. The rest of the day would be spent with family. Our guide told us the churches would be quite full Easter Sunday, but she said, once Easter is over very few people would attend church again until Easter rolls around again.

Like those churches in eastern Europe, Easter is the most well-attended Sunday of the year in most American churches. And like those European churches, far too many American worshippers will not return to church until the following Easter holiday.

It is a sad reality of faith that far too many people acknowledge the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ but find too little time to understand what it means to live as though it mattered.

So, the question every believer must answer is what is my proper response to Easter? What is my proper response to the resurrection?

The Bible records the reactions of the individuals who encountered the resurrection. Depending on the person, the response was disbelief, fear, confusion, paralysis, and at some point, joy and celebration. For the person committed to Christ, the resurrection must be a call to action.

In his letter to the Philippian church, Paul told them that everything he had gained in life up to that point was “garbage” when compared to what he had gained in Christ. He also knew he had not received everything that Christ could offer. His life as a follower of Christ continued to be shaped and molded by the work of Christ in him. He recognized he still had much to learn so he turned to the source of all knowledge.

“I want to know Christ–yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in death, and so, somehow attaining the resurrection of the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (Philippians 3:10-11)

It is an interesting turn of phrase in this verse that I’ve not given a great of thought to prior to the past few days. “…to know the power of his resurrection…” As a believer in Christ, we accept by faith that the resurrection Jesus’ experienced will be ours someday. That the promise of eternal life is the hope of all who believe.

The power of the resurrection is a future reality for every Christian, but I don’t think that was what Paul was thinking here. Before we can explore what he meant by the phrase, though, Paul said the surest way to avoid having an Easter-only faith is to harbor a deep desire to know the resurrected Lord. Not simply to acknowledge who he is, but to know him personally and intimately.

You hear the longing in his note to the Philippians. “I want to know Christ.” Paul’s idea of knowing Christ was to connect with him, to interact with him on a personal level. It was his passion. Absent the opportunity to walk with Jesus as his disciples did, Paul longed to see into the heart of Jesus. To understand how he could love so deeply, care so tenderly and live so faithfully. Paul earnestly and passionately wanted to have an intimate relationship with Jesus.

Any good relationship takes time spent with the one to whom we wish to connect. To get to know Jesus, takes that faith commitment as a starting point and then spends time learning the things he taught, figuring out how to apply what he taught to our lives. It speaks to the idea of following so closely in his footsteps that we become like him in the way we think, behave and the way we minister and relate to others.

To know Christ is the heartfelt goal toward which we ought to set our own lives, knowing that he is the perfect example of kindness, justice and righteousness. God said as much to Jeremiah,

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom, or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

So, our first response to the resurrection is to do what it takes to know God, to know Christ. The second part of it is to know the power of his resurrection. As I said earlier, it seems to me that Paul uses that phrase not to suggest an eternal answer, but to suggest a “here and now” experience. Paul talks about knowing the power of Jesus’ resurrection…as if it is a power and strength available to us if we can just find a way to plug into it.

I’m pretty sure we won’t find a way to connect to the power of the resurrection dressed in our Sunday best once a year on Easter.

Paul’s realization is my own. None of us has exhausted the possibilities of what God is willing to do in and through us when we plug into the power of the resurrection of Christ. Take a look at another letter Paul wrote in which he lays claim to that promise.

His opening prayer for the church in Ephesus was for enlightened hearts that see and understand the hope to which they were called and the inheritance they would receive as God’s children. He defined the hope and inheritance as…

“…the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe…that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead.: (Ephesians 1:19-20)

The power of the resurrection.

Paul prayed that the Ephesian Christians would come to understand and tap into the unfathomably awesome power stored up for those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord…the same power that God used to raise Jesus from the dead.

With the power of God Almighty already at work within us, we can do all things, anything, everything, he desires us to do. Just look at what he says just a little later in Ephesians.

“God is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20)

Paul is telling us we most often dream too small. Limit what we think we can do. Never really knowing what we might accomplish for God if we just plugged into the source of our strength and power or fully committed to the work he puts in front of us.

Famed 19th century theologian Charles Spurgeon called the act of raising Jesus from the tomb “as great a work as creation itself.” Jesus entered the tomb a captive of death. By the power of God, he exited the tomb as a conqueror.

Spurgeon said Paul’s desire to know the power of the resurrection was less about the power displayed in the resurrection as it was about the power that derives from it. That’s the power that Paul wanted to tap into. The power available to us today.

The power that allows us to do more than we dream we could is the power of God that he worked through Christ when he raised him from the dead. The power that allowed Jesus to conquer death is the same power available to equip us to do “far more abundantly than all we ask or think.” It is the power that enables us to be used by God to accomplish his will and purpose in and through us.

If you’re wondering how to tap into the power of the resurrection, Jesus explained it clearly to his disciples.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing…If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:5,7)

It is the connection to the vine that enables the branch to bear fruit. The branch gains its strength through its connection to the vine, its source of growth and power. The power of the resurrection is available to those who attach themselves to the vine, to Christ, drawing our growth and strength through him.

What is our proper response to Easter? What is our proper response to the resurrection?

First, we must know Christ. Not just acknowledging his presence and who he is but getting to know him personally and intimately. Striving to become more like him every day. God’s word reveals Christ in every way that matters. Hearing God’s word proclaimed every week, studying his word regularly and deeply, provides insight we need to his character and his way. Spending time with him in conversation about our hopes, our fears, our joy and our sorrow, provides that intimate connection to our Creator and Lord.

Second, we must tap into the power of his resurrection. When you read that original passage, Paul isn’t asking for more power. He’s asking for the power already available to him. We have all this power at our fingertips, but we keep acting as if we are too weak…as if we are still slaved to our past. It’s probably the biggest reason we go to church only on Easter Sunday. We have not plugged into the power at our fingertips.

The power of the resurrection…our response to the resurrection… ought to be directed more outwardly. Christianity is not just about forgiveness and overcoming sin. The Christian faith is not just an eternal solution to our sin problem. God saved us for a reason, a purpose. We are to be his agents in the world…his voice, his hands, his feet. And he gives us the power to make it so.

Through our knowing God and making that intimate connection with him, we tap into the power to not only defeat sin and gain everlasting victory over death, but we get to share in his message of love and grace to the world, to minister to the hurting and disconnected…not in our own power, but the power of the resurrected Lord.

I think that’s the idea Paul is leading us to understand. You’ll never find it in an Easter-only world. Living in the middle of all of it all…that’s the proper response to Easter.

Who Are You Looking For?

Background Passages: Matthew 16:13-23; John 18:3-8, John 20:11-16

It is an essential question for Resurrection Sunday. One that demands an answer.

Jesus had been crucified and buried. The heavy slab of granite rolled into the dugout trench, locked his body inside. From Friday until early Sunday morning, those who followed Jesus lived in a state of shock, numb with fear.

Not knowing anything else to do, the women who were closest to him, returned to his tomb to finish preparing the body for burial. Something Sabbath laws had not allowed them to do when he died. When they arrived, they found the stone rolled away, the burial cloth neatly folded and the body of their teacher nowhere to be seen. In a panic, they ran back to tell Jesus’ disciples.

As the sun burned away the morning dew, Mary Magdalene, compelled by grief and overcome with sadness, returned to the empty tomb. She failed to recognize the supernatural aura of the day. Two angels sat inside the tomb their identity lost in her confusion. Still clutching the burial ointments she had brought with her that morning, they asked her…

“Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

Mary heard the rustle of robes behind her. Jesus stood before her, but again in her misery, she failed to recognize the one she loved. Echoing the angels, Jesus asked…

“Woman, why are your crying?”

Then, he got to the heart of the matter.

“Who is it you are looking for?” (John 20:11-15)

There it is. Jesus cuts the soul of everyone who would believe in him as savior and Lord. The fundamental question of Easter. “Who is it you are looking for?”

Easter is the most revered of all Christian Holidays. According to the Pew Research Center, 45 percent of Christians worldwide say they attend worship services on a monthly basis. That number typically increases to about 70 percent on Resurrection Sunday. So, if your church averages about 500 people in attendance every Sunday, you might expect 675-700 people in attendance for Easter services.

Whether you attend church every Sunday or whether your church experience is limited to Christmas and Easter, this is the critical question of we need to ask ourselves. When you walk through the doors of the church, for whom are you searching? Who do you seek?

Just for a moment cast yourself in this story as the thirteenth disciple. Where they go, you go. What they see and hear, you see and hear. What they feel, you feel.

I’m not sure if Peter and the other disciples could have answered that critical question with 100 percent certainty on that first Easter morning so long ago. They had just seen their teacher, their Lord crucified. Their worlds turned inside out and upside down. Little made sense that day. Things had certainly not turned out the way they expected.

It was just a few weeks earlier that Jesus walked his disciples north out of Galilee and into heartbeat of Roman worship. Caesarea Philippi, a Roman city north of the Sea of Galilee, served as the home of a temple to the Roman god Pan.

Needing to get away from the crowds to teach his disciples what would be an unsettling truth, Jesus ventured into a place most Jews would never go.

Can you see them? Jesus and his disciples sat on the side of a hill overlooking Caesarea Philippi, cooking a few fish over the glowing embers of their campfire. Looming below them were pagan temples carved out of the solid sandstone cliff. Torches cast tall, eerie shadows upon the cliffside as the pagan priests scurried to deliver their burnt offerings to the gods.

The muted but friendly conversation of companions fell silent when Jesus, staring down at the temples, asked a simple question.

“Who do men say that the Son of Man is?”

“They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’”

They waited for Jesus to react, the moment growing more uncomfortable for them as Jesus stared into the distance. Then, Jesus turned to face his dearest friends and in a quiet voice and with eyes that bore into their souls, he asked,

“But what about you? Who do you say I am?”

(Do you recognize it? It’s that Easter question in another form. “Who is it you are looking for?”)

The Jewish crowds considered Jesus a new prophet, perhaps John the Baptist, Elijah or Jeremiah returning to set their people free. Jesus needed to know that his disciples understood the truth. “Who am I to you? Who are you looking for?”

With all the pride he could muster, Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”

Jesus offered a word of measured praise and a prophecy.

“Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.“ (Matthew 16:13-18)

To his credit Peter knew who Jesus was. He was the Messiah. God’s anointed one. God’s son. To his shame, he still didn’t fully understand.

Scripture tells us in the next passage that Jesus, in the quietness of that evening, began to tell the disciples that he would travel to Jerusalem and suffer a great deal at the hands of the religious elite. He told them he would be killed and raised again on the third day.

Slightly horrified, Peter, the one who just declared Jesus the Messiah, tugged on his master’s sleeve, pulled him to the side to rebuke him. This was not a casual “tsk-tsk.” This was a strongly worded criticism, expressing Peter’s sharp disapproval of the content of Jesus’ lesson.

“Never, Lord! This shall never happen!”

Jesus narrowed his gaze into Peter’s eyes raised his voice so all the disciples could hear, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Matthew 16:22-23)

The Jews desperately pined for the Messiah to come as a conquering king to drive the occupying Romans from their lands. Peter and the others had a hard time getting past the old narrative. He recognized that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah, but fail to understand the nature of God’s redeeming work. He viewed Jesus in political and personal terms. He got the identity right, but not the intent.

Who are you looking for? Jesus asked. Peter was looking for someone different. The wrong kind of Messiah. Looking for the wrong kind of savior.

“Who is it you are looking for?”

Travel now to the Garden of Gethsemane. The hour is late. The disciples are bone tired and weary. Not just from the tiring journey from Caesarea Philippi to Jerusalem, but from the troubling events of the night. The supper shared in the upper room went from celebratory to somber. Jesus’ actions unsettled everyone. Washing the feet. Calling out a betrayer. Launching into a heavy conversation about death at the hands of the civil and religious authorities.

Amid the olive trees, the disciples struggled to stay awake. Jesus knelt farther up the hillside, in fervent prayer. The disciples faded in and out of a sleep induced haze, until they heard the stomp of marching feet. The clatter of sword against shield cutting through the midnight hour. Wide awake now, the disciples form a protective ring around Jesus as a band of soldiers being led by no other but Judas surrounds them, swords drawn.

Jesus gently pushes his way to the front and stands face to face with Judas and the Roman centurion.

“Who is it you want?”

(There it is again. The same probing question. “Who is it you are looking for?”)

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.

Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go…Then, the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people. (John 18:3-8)

Other passages of scripture tell us that Judas greeted his master with a kiss. Judas joined the disciples, attracted by the message of inclusion and freedom. He heard the words, but never quite got the message. Growing increasingly disillusioned by Jesus’ passive approach, he felt compelled to act. Still believing that Jesus was the man who would start the revolution, Judas tried to force his hand.

The kiss. Perhaps a wink and a slight nod of his head. A lift of the eyebrows. Judas had just created the opportunity to light the fire of rebellion if only Jesus would comply with his wishes.

“Who is it you want?” Judas recognize Jesus’ power. He had seen it in action. He knew Jesus, but he didn’t know his heart. Judas wanted a savior he could manipulate to do his bidding. He wanted to unleash that miraculous power to meet his own desires. Judas didn’t want a savior. He wanted someone he could control.

“Who is it you are looking for?”

Now, let’s go back to the tomb. Hours later in the timeline of Jesus’ life on earth. In the garden outside the tomb, a distraught Mary mistook Jesus for the gardener. Unable to recognize the one she loved so dearly, she heard him ask,

“Who are you looking for?”

In the brief conversation that ensued, Mary’s grieving heart took her the only place her distress could go. With a heart burdened and disoriented, she cried out to him,

“Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him.”

At some point in this conversation, Jesus sought to reassure her. He called her name,

“Mary.”

Something in the sound of his voice broke through the despair and the heartbreak. In that moment of clarity, Mary found the one for whom she was looking.

She fell at his feet and cried.

“Rabboni.”

This Hebrew form of the word is personal, informal and intimate.

“My Teacher.” (John 20:15-16)

Mary understands who he is and acknowledges him as her risen Lord.

You see, when Mary Magdalene ran to tell the disciples that the tomb was empty, she had all the facts right, but she jumped to the wrong conclusion. Peter had done the same in Caesarea Philippi. Judas the same at Gethsemane. Her facts were right. The tomb was empty. She just drew to the wrong conclusion.

We often do the same thing. When faced with troubles and unexplainable tragedy, we mourn. If we understood who we were looking for, we wouldn’t weep at all. Consider this. If Mary had gotten her wish and she found a body in the tomb, we would have no reason to celebrate. There would be no Easter.

The truth of Easter demands an answer from each of us.

“Who is it you are looking for?”

Maybe you’re one of those believers like Peter who initially put your faith and trust in Jesus at an early age. When you think of Jesus, you think of him as savior. You have his identity right, but not his intent. Being saved is more than a point in time reality. Salvation is so much more than that moment in time decision to follow Christ. It’s more than that initial decision you made to trust him. Being saved is knowing Christ daily. Growing in him daily. Making every effort to live a more Christ-like life every day. Letting him be the boss of your life today and always.

Who is it you are looking for? Look for Jesus and make him Lord of your life. Every day.

Maybe your understanding is similar to Judas’ “genie in a lantern” concept of God. Rub the lantern and get three wishes. God is there to answer my prayer. Give me what I want when I want it. There are those who try to mold God into their own image rather than letting God mold them into his. When we try to make God into our own image, he will always disappoint us. Why would we trust a God who is no more perfect than us?

God’s plan for your life is far better than anything you can dream on your own. He wants the best for us. Thank God for the unanswered prayers because he knows what’s best. Thank God when God makes us wait on him because his timing is best.

Who is it you are looking for? Look for Jesus and trust him to meet your needs. Every day.

Maybe this Easter celebration will be meaningful because you get it. Jesus died on a cross as a willing sacrifice for your sins. He rose again. A living Lord. In difficult times, he is your strength. When you don’t know which way to turn, he is your guide. You’ve embraced his presence in your life and recognize that he is still your Rabboni. Personal and Intimate. Your Teacher. Those closest to Christ know that he is still teaching you daily how to live like him.

Who is it you are looking for? Look for Jesus, your strength. Your companion. Your teacher.

Statistics tell us Easter Sunday will draw many to worship. That is my hope and prayer. Every person who walks in the door should be blessed.

I pray that everyone who walks through the sanctuary doors will look for Jesus in all his fullness. It is a choice each of us can make, but it won’t happen unless we come with that question on our hearts.

It won’t happen, unless I am willing to ask the question as I enter to his presence in worship.

“Who is it I am looking for?”

Passion Week-Saturday: Remember

Background Passage: Luke 23:56

Jesus is dead. Hurriedly buried in a borrowed tomb. Now, it is Saturday of Passion Week. Sabbath day on the Jewish calendar.

It is pure speculation on our part. It is not, however, hard to imagine the turmoil of the disciples and the handful of Jesus followers in the hours after his death on the cross.

One by one, those brave enough to venture to Golgotha peeled away, leaning on each other for support. Some went their separate ways. Others huddled together in a room, isolated in fear, burdened by grief.

All we know of Jesus’ followers actions on the day after Jesus’ death is found in one simple verse.

“Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.” (Luke 23:56)

I don’t know about you, but the death of a loved one is unsettling. In the best of times, there is a measure of reflective memories of good times shared together. When the loved one fell victim of a particularly difficult death, there is a lingering replay of every image of the last moments…real and imagined.

How could it have been any different for the disciples of Jesus or for these women who loved him?

I suspect many of them followed Jesus to Calvary, pushing their way through a jeering crowd, hoping against hope that this was just a horrible dream. They saw him fall beneath the weight of the cross, weak from the scourging he just endured. They watched the soldiers viciously manhandle him as they stripped him of his clothes and nailed him to the cross. They could not turn away as he hung from the cross, watching each agonizing breath until it was finished.

Now, in the darkness of the evening, they replayed all those images in their minds over and over again. Through the night they could not shake those images. They could not shake the despair.

When Sabbath dawn broke that next morning, they abandoned all pretense of the sleep that never came. I imagine them looking to one another as they picked at their breakfast. “What now?”

In a telling moment, when their hearts were heavy with grief, fear and despair, they had every reason to abandon their faith. After all, the one in whom they had placed their trust was gone. But, when they were lost and as hopeless as they had ever been…despite the horrific memories…scripture says they observed the Sabbath.

They did in that moment what they did with Jesus every Sabbath he was with them. They stayed true to what Jesus taught them. They read God’s word. They prayed. They honored God.

I like that. It’s probably worthy of our attention. They honored God. They honored their memory of Jesus by doing what he would have done.

A week of study brought us to the foot of the cross. On this day between the cross and the empty tomb, perhaps it’s good that we remember the suffering of Jesus as a demonstration of the incredible love of God to send his son to die for us.

But even as we remember the horror, we honor God by our worshipful spirits on this day and our knowledge that the darkness of that night made the light of his resurrection shine that much brighter.

Via Delarosa by Lea Salonga, 2011

Passion Week-Tuesday: Devotion

Author’s Note: I’m stepping outside of my normal process during this holy week of our Christian faith. As I began my preparations toward Easter this year, I wanted to walk where Jesus walked during that last week. I wanted to see what I could learn from God’s son at a time in his life that required boundless courage and faith. The parallel accounts in scripture differ minutely in chronology. Don’t get hung up on those minor inconsistencies. We’ll look at the major themes along the way. I will post a devotional study every day during this week, leading up of Easter Sunday. Let’s see together where this journey can take us.

Background Passages: Mark 12:41-44; Mark 13:1-36

Tuesday

From the time he was 12 years of age, Jesus enjoyed going to the temple in Jerusalem. It was a special place. A holy place. His Father’s house. If Jesus was in Jerusalem, one would find him in the temple, typically in the morning hours, teaching and or engaged in deep conversation with priests and people about the nature of the coming kingdom of God. I believe Jesus enjoyed his time in the temple.

This Tuesday of Passion Week was a good day.

We find Jesus again in the temple after another night in Bethany. Later in the day, he gathers his disciples on the Mount of Olives for a private lesson. There were things he still needed to tell them…important things…they would need to remember when he was gone. You’ll find that conversation in Mark 13. There are some good thoughts in that Chapter so you might want to read them on your own. Look for the lessons Jesus teaches them.

- - He warned them against the heresies of false teachers. “Do not be deceived…”. (Vs. 1)
  - He told them to expect to be persecuted for their beliefs. “You will be handed over to local councils and synagogues…” (Vs. 9)
  - He encourage them to depend upon the Holy Spirit for the words to speak. ”Do not worry about what to say…for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.” (Vs. 11)
  - He reminded them to not let their faith falter in difficult times. ”but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Vs. 13)
  - He reassured them that were taught all they needed to know… ”I have told you everything ahead of time.” (Vs. 23)
  - He encouraged them be diligent in their faith until their death or until he returns. ”Keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will return.” (Vs. 35)

We would do well to hear these words of Jesus today. As vital as those words may be, I want to focus on a smaller passage. One that we typically read and move passed with a knowing nod and a smile on our face. I think there is great truth in the story of the widow’s mite.

*****

At some point during that morning, Jesus sat on a stone bench and leaned his back against the cool wall in the outer courtyard. Across the way, he could see the people and the priests filing passed a row of 12 offering vases, shaped a little like inverted megaphones.

It started out as people watching. Mindless observation of a routine activity. Then Jesus noticed a small, elderly woman shuffling through the line, waiting for her turn. Standing behind her were two Pharisees with whom Jesus was acquainted from his conversations yesterday. They stood six feet back from the woman, noses wrinkled in disdain.

There was something about this woman that caught Jesus’ eye. He nudged his disciples and nodded in her direction. They all began to watch.

When she reached the coffer, she turned her money bag upside down and emptied its contents into her trembling hand. Two small coins worth little more than a penny in today’s currency. She shook the bag once more, as if hoping for more. Finding nothing extra, the woman bowed her head. A short prayer concluded, she carefully slid the two coins into the container and walked away.

The two Pharisees stood next to the same offering vase, raising their hands, announcing to God and anyone within earshot that they had a grand offering to give. They emptied their money from a heavy, gilded bag, counted out several coins. Lifting their hands high above the opening, they dropped their coins into the metal container, with a rattle heard around the courtyard.

Jesus shook his head and spoke to his disciples.

“I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others,” pointing to the Pharisees. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had.”

“Out of their wealth.” The words paint a picture of one giving leftovers. Money that remained after they had fulfilled all their other wants and desires. Empty. No meaning behind it. Little more than a showy display of duty.

“Out of her poverty.” These words paint a portrait of a woman who could not care for her basic needs, but still gave her all to God. Her everything. Her all.

Sure, this small passage stuck in the middle of Jesus Passion Week experiences seems almost out of place. It’s a wonderful lesson that shares what should be our attitude toward giving. But you can see it as more.

He saw in this widowed woman a kindred soul. Someone who would deny herself and give her all to God.

Jesus knew the sacrifice he was about to make. To give his whole being and soul on a cross for the salvation of a sinful world. His sacrifice would be total. Complete. Giving his all to God for his will and purpose.

In a week as special as this one in the lives of all Christians, the story of the widow’s mite serves as a remarkable reminder of the depth of God’s love for the world.

Her example and the example of Christ teach us the importance of sacrificially giving ourselves over to the will of God. To do as he commands. Too many Christians live a Sunday kind of faith, making a show of piety that creates a little noise on the weekend, but lives silently during the week.

God asks for our complete devotion, sacrifice and humility, every minute of every day, with every spiritual, emotional, social and financial resource he sees fit to give us. That’s a powerful lesson.

The Bible doesn’t tell us more about this remarkable widow. As the late Grady Nutt would say, “I can’t prove it happened and you can’t prove it didn’t.” After watching what happened, I just believe Jesus searched her out in the crowd, placed a tender hand on her cheek, and blessed her for her sacrifice. They talked about her life and her deep understanding of God’s blessings in a cruel world.

I can see Jesus sharing God’s love for her so that as she left his side she knew the Messiah had come. I believe she put her trust in him that day. As she walked away, I can see Jesus reaching into Judas’ purse, despite the disciple’s shocked expression, and calling her name. When she turned, he smiled and tossed her a bag of coin. “You’ll need this more than us.”

Devotion. Sacrifice. Humility. Those are not words highly valued in today’s world. Too often we find that God takes a back seat to personal desires. That self-serving hearts dictate our words and deeds. That personal pride and the praise of others are what we cherish most.

The story of the widow’s mite tells us that life’s blessings come to those who give themselves wholeheartedly to God, holding nothing back. When we live a life of complete devotion, sacrifice and humility, that’s a life God can honor.

It is the life Jesus lived. It is the life he called us to live.

That’s a great lesson for me to learn.

Tuesday was a good day.

Passion Week-Monday: Love

Author’s Note: I’m stepping outside of my normal process during this holy week of our Christian faith. We often read in scripture about the triumphal entry of Christ on Palm Sunday. Many congregations observe with solemnity Maundy Thursday in remembrance of Jesus’ suffering on the cross. Then, in great celebration of faith we arrive at the resurrection on Easter Sunday. Typically. This year will be different…obviously.

As I began my preparations toward Easter this year, I wanted to walk where Jesus walked during that last week. I wanted to see what I could learn from God’s son at a time in his life that required boundless courage and faith. The parallel accounts in scripture differ minutely in chronology. Don’t get hung up on those minor inconsistencies. We’ll look at the major themes along the way. I will post a devotional study every day during this week, leading up to Easter Sunday. Let’s see together where this journey can take us.

Background Passages: Matthew 21:18 -22:39; Mark 12:28-34

Jesus returned to Bethany at the end of a long and tiring day. It began with his ride into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey to the cheering throng of people throwing their cloaks on the path before him, waving palm trees in celebration and singing praises to the Son of David. Jesus remembered how the praises of the people rang hollow. How he wept as he approached the walls of this great and doomed city. Jesus knew his disciple and the crowd that followed him failed to fully understand the kind of Messiah he came to be.

As he climbed the winding path from the Eastern Gate up the Mount of Olives toward Bethany he felt a wave of mixed emotions. Sorrow in knowing the fate of his people. The righteous anger at the merchants who turned the temple from a place of prayer to a den of thieves. His frustration with the intransigent nature of the religious leaders. His love for the children who sang to him as he left the temple.

As the sun set, Jesus rested that Sunday night in the home of Lazarus and his sisters, finding a respite in their undemanding companionship. He needed that solace in order to face his Monday.

Monday
When Jesus left Galilee a week ago, he set his eyes firmly on Jerusalem knowing beyond a doubt that the cross awaited him. It was for this reason he was sent by his Father. He knew the limits of his time with his closest disciples and how much they still needed to understand. Jesus also knew that the enthusiasm of Palm Sunday had his disciples walking on air, feeling a bit invincible. They had much to learn. The next few days would be difficult for them.

Despite the heavy burden he carried that would leave most of us cowering in bed filled with anxiety, Jesus and his disciples rose early to return to Jerusalem, the dawn of a new day little more than a glimmer on the horizon. It would be a challenging and a full day. Think about the things he endured probably before lunch time.

- - A barren fig tree became a talking point about the emptiness of Israel’s heart and the need for faith and prayer. The agony he felt for his people ran deep within his soul.
  - The Pharisees challenged the authority of Jesus leading to some of the strongest and clearest statements from Jesus about the failure of the religious leaders and the coming of a new kingdom of God built upon genuine faith, service to others and spiritual humility.
  - He battled his detractors with some of the clearest and most pointed parables ever uttered, calling them out for their false piety and wanton indifference toward those in need. He told them they would forfeit their place in God’s kingdom. These were difficult conversations.

After crushing the theological traps set by the Pharisees and Sadducees, an expert in religious law recognized that Jesus was providing great answers to their challenges. He was impressed with the teacher’s knowledge. In a sincere effort to engage Jesus, he posed his own question.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?

Jesus looked at the man intently. Seeing within him a different heart. He smiled and said,

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

I imagine the expert in the law laughed out loud and clapped his hands as he glanced at the Pharisees and Sadducees murmuring at the edge of the crowd. “Well said, Teacher,” he replied, engaging in a brief but substantial conversation with Jesus. The man shared his view that those two commands were more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices one could offer. Jesus looked knowingly at his disciples because he had shared a similar thought not too long ago.

Jesus nodded his approval. “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Though scripture doesn’t tell us so, I want to believe a private conversation between Jesus and this legal expert ended in the man giving his heart to our Lord.

It is this story that struck me about Jesus’ last Monday before the cross. It was a ray of hope in an otherwise dismal day. Not only was Jesus carrying the burden of the knowledge of his impending death on the cross, he had faced the bitterness and anger of people who ought to know better. Challenged at every corner. His every word parsed and picked apart by people so busy trying to make a point they probably didn’t hear him anyway.

Then, out of the blue, an associate of the religious leaders who questioned his authority, stepped forward. The conversation was a breath of fresh air. Non-confrontational. Non-threatening. Instead, they talked about what was most important in the middle of these contentious arguments.

Jesus, set those arguments aside. What’s really the greatest commandment God gave us?

I think God knew Jesus needed to end the morning on a positive note. This conversation gave Jesus a chance to refocus his heart and mind. To set aside the discord and the discourse and think about what mattered most. Our relationship with God and with each other.

“Love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind.” With all that is within you love the Lord. Total and complete. Dominating our emotions. Defined by our actions. That’s the greatest command. Once you’ve tuned your being to the heart of God, the next commandment falls in place.

William Barclay said about this passage, “It is only when we love God that man becomes lovable. Take away our love for God and we can become angry at the man the unteachable; pessimistic about man the unimprovable.” Only when we love God are we able to love your neighbor.

The coronavirus has much of the world on the edge of panic. We sit today sequestered in our houses or working at an appropriate social distance uncertain of what tomorrow might bring. Though I think I’m handling things pretty well, I find myself at random times getting antsy, anxious about tomorrow. It helps to be reminded of what is important.

Jesus had more reason to feel distress in this last week before his crucifixion than any of us could possibly feel today. The weight of the whole world was squarely on his shoulders. God choose a most difficult time to remind him to love.

Perhaps it is a good reminder for us in the middle of a global pandemic. Love God. Love your neighbor. Our hearts, our very being must turn to God with the love of one eternally grateful for his provision and his sacrifice. He provided a way for everlasting security for all who love him and believe. That’s a powerful thing to remember in times of crisis.

It’s also a great reminder that we are called to love others. What better time to do so than when everyone is feeling the strain? When everyone needs a loving touch…even if it is long distance. Demonstrate your love of God this week by calling friends and family to check on their status. Pray for one another. Help where you can.

A neighbor did exactly that for Jesus that evening. Jesus and his disciples returned to Bethany for the evening. The ate supper in the home of Simon the Leper, most likely he was someone Jesus had healed in the past.

During the course of the evening a woman of the house, who intuitively understood the path Jesus walked, was so overwhelmed with love, that she broke open an expensive bottle of perfume and poured it over Jesus’ head…An act Jesus understood as her way of anointing him, honoring him, by symbolically preparing him for burial. An expression of love.

Monday’s message is clear. Forget the struggles of the day. Just love God. Just love your neighbor. As the song says, it’s the only thing there is just too little of.

Waiting for What’s Next

Background Passages: John 21:1-19; Luke 5:1-11

Easter has come and gone. For many of us, the act of remembering Jesus death and the celebration of his resurrection represents the pinnacle of God’s redemptive work. The Bible goes to great lengths in Old Testament prophecy and in New Testament teaching about the miraculous saving work of Jesus Christ. He lived. He died for the sins of the world. He rose again, entering the lives of those who believe as a living Savior. Powerful stuff!

However, it would be a big mistake, I think, for us to live in the resurrection. As necessary as that moment was for our spiritual destiny, God calls us for so much more. Look no farther than one of my favorite episodes in the Bible. It took place just a few weeks after the resurrection on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias.

Peter.
James.
John.
Nathaniel.
Thomas.
Two unnamed disciples.

Seven men
sat around a campfire
smoldering on the shore of the
Sea of Tiberias.
“Go to Galilee and wait for me,”
Jesus told them after his resurrection.
So they sat.
They waited.
Waited some more.

The longer they waited,
the less they talked to one another.
The longer they waited,
the more anxious they became.
Fidgeting.
Uncomfortable.
Mindlessly skipping stones
across the placid water.

Unable to contain himself,
Peter stood.
Balled his fists into the stiff muscles of his lower back.
Looked blankly into the distance.
“I’m going fishing,”
He muttered.

Without another word he walked to his boat,
pebbles crunching under his feet.
Six men with nothing else to do
looked at one another…
“Wait up!
We’ll go with you.”

Even Nathaniel and Thomas,
the only non-fishermen in the group,
raced after him,
eager to do anything but sit.
Anything to break up the endless hours of waiting.

As the sun set,
they set out in their boat,
doing what most of them had done
for years before they met Jesus.

All night they toiled.
Cast and pull.
Cast and pull.

Like fisherman who knew their water,
They moved from one favored spot to another
looking for the schools of fish where they always were.
Yet, they caught nothing.

All night they toiled.
Cast and pull.
Cast and pull.

As the sun broke over the mountains
And the morning haze began to lift,
Peter spread the empty net one last time across boat.
Cupped the solitary, squiggling minnow in his hand.
The first “fish” they caught all night.
He tossed the minnow back into the water
with a sigh deeper than the sea itself.
“Let’s go in.”

As they worked to fold the net and stash their gear,
a voice called to them from the beach.
A man stood ankle deep in the water,
waving at them.
“Friends, have you had any luck?”
He asked.
“Did you catch any fish?”

Their reply simple and terse.
“No.”
Without another word,
they returned to the job at hand.

“Throw your net on the right side of the boat
and you’ll find some,”
the voice on shore suggested.

John’s face flushed with weary anger.
His brother James rolled his eyes.
They knew these waters.
They fished all night.
Sometimes, the fish just weren’t there.

“To the right,”
the voice said again.

Peter, John and James
stopped what they were doing.
Something oddly familiar in the challenge.
A look passed between them.
A memory.

A similar night three years earlier.
A fishing outing.
No fish in the nets.
A voice telling them to cast the nets…
one more time.
A haul so large it threatened to
burst their nets.

A smile passed between the three men
as they remembered the day
Jesus called them to be his disciples.
The day he said,
“Follow me.
I will make you fishers of men.”

Without another thought,
they picked up the folded net.
Tossed it again into the sea…
This time on the right side as instructed.

Together they watched the net sink into the dark water.
Waited a moment.
Pulled the net,
Expecting nothing.

“Must have snagged a rock,”
Peter suggested.
Pulled again with all their strength.
With some effort,
the net reached the surface.
Astounded looks.
Excited shouts.

Peter looked at the teeming net.
Looked to the shore.
The man stood laughing,
clapping his hands in delight.

Peter looked back at the fish
thrashing in the net.
Caught the bewildered eyes of James and John.
Looked back again at the laughing man on the beach.
“It’s Jesus,”
He whispered.

“It’s Jesus,”
He shouted!

Peter turned to Thomas,
giving him his corner of the net.
“Here.
Take this.”

Thomas grabbed the net,
nearly pulled overboard
by the unexpected weight of the catch.

Peter pulled on his tunic.
Dove into the water,
swimming to meet Jesus.
His friends rowed the boat toward shore,
dragging a full net behind them.

By the time they arrived,
Jesus had rekindled the fire.
A couple of fish on the grill.
A loaf of bread baking on the heated stone.
The aroma heavenly.

“Bring some of the fish you just caught,”
Jesus called, ready to prepare a feast for his friends.
With a smile warmer than the sun,
he welcomed them.
Boisterous words.
Bear hugs.
“Come and have some breakfast.”

Such a heartwarming story of friendship and belonging. Jesus’ love for his disciples so evident in the tenor of this scene. Their love for him, equally touching. The man for whom they had waited for these difficult days, sat among them, gutted a few fish, tossed them onto the fire, and prepared a meal for them. He offered a prayer of gratitude for God’s provision. They reconnected in the joy of familiar fellowship.

It’s a wonderful story, but…it doesn’t end there. John tells us they finished eating and strolled down the beach together. Their festive breakfast reunion yielding to a quiet conversation of critical importance.

Jesus kicked over a smooth stone with the toe of his sandal.
Bent over.
Picked it up.
Tossed it absently into the water.
Watched the ripples spread from its splash.
A private metaphor for the broadening reach
of his good news.

“Peter,”
he said quietly,
drawing the disciple closer.
“Do you love me more than these?”

Without hesitation.
“Yes, Lord,”
he answered,
“You know that I love you.”

“Feed my lambs.”

Peter shook his head in wonder.
His forehead wrinkled in thought.
“What brought that on?”

A minute later.
“Peter,”
Jesus said again.
The strength of his voice
drew the attention of the other
disciples walking nearby.
“Do you love me?”

Peter stood his ground.
Confused, but determined.
“Yes, Lord!
You know that I love you!”

Jesus’ eyes bore into his soul.
“Take care of my sheep.”

Moments passed.
Everyone lost in thought.
Jesus stopped walking.
The disciples in a semi-circle around him.
He looked at all of them.
Then, looked Peter in the eye.

“Peter,
do you love me?”

Tears filled the disciple’s eyes.
His heart hurt.
Thoughts swirled in his head.
“Does he not believe me?”
“Why does he keep asking?”
“Surely he knows what I feel.”

Peter could not hold the intensity of Jesus’ gaze.
He turned. Stared at a distant fishing boat.
Thinking of the life he once loved.
His mind racing through the last three years.
A montage of images.

He took a deep breath.
Turned back to stare into the
eyes of his Christ.
Emphatic.
“Lord, you know all things.
You know that I love you.”

Two men.
Eyes locked on one another.
Jesus stepped forward.
Draped his arms across Peter’s broad shoulders.
Touched forehead to forehead.
“Feed my sheep.”

Then,
Jesus held Peter at arm’s length.
Flashed a trademark smile
at Peter and the men surrounding them.
He turned Peter around.
Draped his arm around his shoulder.
Grabbed John and did the same.
Walking between them,
He echoed the exact words
he used three years earlier.
To these same men.
On this same beach.

“Follow me.”

Inevitably, we study these two stories—the casting of the net…Jesus’ poignant questioning of Peter…as separate events. Separate truths. Reading through these verses again this week, I view them as one story. As a significant and necessary reminder that we have been called, not just to believe, but to serve.

It is hard to wait on God. It’s hard to wait on Jesus. It’s hard to wait on the Spirit. Think of the time in your life where you wondered, “God, I’m at a crossroad. What comes next?” What do we do when we’re unsure of what to do next?

The disciples were at a crossroad of eternal importance. Their world had been turned upside down. The horror of the cross. Feeling lost and alone. The euphoria of the resurrection. The ground beneath them must have felt like quicksand.

In the days immediately after his resurrection, Jesus sent his disciples to Galilee, promising that he would meet them there. They filtered out of Jerusalem. Headed north. They waited. Days passed and Jesus had not shown up. They had to be wondering, “What’s next for us?”

The disciples went to Galilee facing an uncertain future. Christian writer Elizabeth Elliot suggested in one of her books, “When you don’t know what to do next, do the next thing.” In this moment of waiting, the disciples didn’t know what to do next, so they did what they knew. They climbed into a boat, pushed out to sea and went fishing. Cast and pull. Cast and pull.

Here’s the beauty of how God works in our lives. He uses the familiar to remind us of our connection to him. Every one of us who has committed our lives to Christ can remember that moment with clarity. It is a precious memory. Like us, I imagine each of the disciples could recall the exact moment when Jesus extended his call to them. What they were doing. What he said. How they felt. For most of the disciples on the boat on this particular day, the teeming net served as the trigger that reminded them of Jesus’ call. Reminded them of what they were called to do.

In the middle of their “What’s next?” moment, Jesus used the teeming net to repaint a picture of God’s call to service that had been so vividly etched into their hearts. In doing so, he reminded them of their purpose in life…a purpose muddled by the events in Jerusalem. “I will make you fishers of men.”

Lesson one. When you don’t know what to do next, go back to your beginning with Christ. Remember the joy of your salvation and the purpose to which God called you. Put yourself in the right position…the right attitude…to be receptive to a gentle reminder from God. When that disembodied voice from your past tells you cast your net on the other side, it’s okay to roll your eyes if it makes no sense under the circumstance. But, cast it anyway. You never know what you will catch.

Lesson two. If the disciples didn’t fully grasp the metaphor, Jesus took the opportunity to explain it in words. In John’s follow up to this heartwarming moment in the lives of Jesus and his disciples, we see the men walking along the shore after a hearty breakfast and wonderful fellowship. Jesus posed a question to Peter. “Do you love me?” Three times asked. Three times answered. “You know I love you.”

Now, the questions probably served as an act of redemption for Peter who had denied Christ three times. I can accept that as an ancillary motive for the questioning, but I don’t think it was Jesus’ main purpose.

Casting the net and pulling in that amazing catch allowed the disciples to bask in the warmth of their relationship with a resurrected Christ, but that’s not why they were called. They were called to minister. To serve. To do the work of God. As they walked the shoreline, Jesus refocused them…pointed them outward.

“Feed my lambs.”

“Take care of my sheep.”

“Feed my sheep.”

You see, it’s not enough to live in the glow of the resurrection morning. It’s not enough to celebrate Easter.

After reminding Peter and the other disciples to “feed my sheep,” Jesus said simply. “Follow me.” It’s not enough to love God. If our love doesn’t change the way we live every day…if it doesn’t compel us to serve…if it doesn’t encourage us to live each day as Jesus lived…we’re just going fishing

…and catching nothing.

So, let’s cast our nets. Let’s remember a Christ who died and rose again. Then, let’s find a few sheep to feed.

One Day

Background Passage: Luke 24:1-12

Creativity is a gift from God. I read a passage in a book with a well-turned phrase or hear the dynamic lyrics to a song and marvel at the ability of writers to string words together to creates a sound that reverberates in the heart of the reader or listener.

This week, I heard the song, Glorious Day, performed by Casting Crowns. Though the song was not new to me, I enjoyed its message and melody. This time my ears picked up on the familiar lyrics. Lyrics that sat me down among my teenage friends in the second pew from the back on the left side of the church in the First Baptist Church or Ropesville, Texas.

“One day when heaven was filled with his praises,
One day when sin was as black as could be,
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin,
Dwelt among men my example is he.”

The modern tune had disguised the lyrics of the song from my youth. I’m not sure why my ears heard the words differently today. The overwhelming sense of spiritual nostalgia took me back to the foundation of my faith in that small rural community. If you’re older than 30 you will probably remember the words penned in 1908 by J. Wilbur Chapman as the song, One Day.

According to most stories behind this famous song, Chapman, a Presbyterian pastor and evangelist who preached during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, wrote a poem to go with a sermon he presented as a guest pastor at Stony Brook Bible Conference. He gave the poem to his pianist Charles Marsh who wrote the tune to the old hymn.

The powerful lyrics captured the essence of God’s plan for the world from the beginning of time. The first line confirms the pre-existence in time of Jesus, God’s son. One day dwelling in heaven. Receiving the praises of the angels for his glory and majesty. One day as God’s creation turned on the axis of selfishness, God sent his son to dwell among us as an example for us to follow of obedience and faith.

One day he is nailed to a cross, a grace gift offsetting the sins of any repentant soul. One day buried. One day risen. The eternal message of Easter.

Then, in an incredible fashion, Chapman crafted a succinct refrain that lays out the depth and breadth of God’s redeeming love.

Living he loved me.
Dying he saved me.
Buried the carried my sin far away.
Rising he justified, freely forever.
One day he’s coming
Oh, Glorious Day.

Though I love the tune written by Michael Bleecker, the melody doesn’t change the message. The old standard may well resonate with those of us who have lived long as recipients of his gift through Christ. The new tune may best bridge the gap between God and today’s contemporary seeker.

Whether you sing it in your mind the old way or the new, may its message connect. God sent his son to live unerringly. To love unconditionally. To die sacrificially . To be buried temporarily. To rise triumphantly. To come again eventually.

What a glorious gift of unmerited grace to all who claimed it that one day!

Camelot and the Cross

Background Passages: Mark 15:21-47; Phil. 2:6-8; John 3:16

The legend of King Arthur and Camelot reads as a favorite of many since it first appeared on the French literary scene in the 12th century. As a movie, released in 1967, the tale gained popular acclaim. In the movie’s climatic scene, King Arthur discovered the adulterous relationship between Queen Guinevere and Lancelot, the king’s most trusted and loved knight. Though Lancelot escaped capture, Guinevere, having broken the laws of Camelot, is tried and convicted, sentenced to burn at the stake. Arthur, deeply torn between his devotion to the laws of his beloved kingdom and his passion for Guinevere, faces an unholy predicament.

Mordred, King Arthur’s scheming, illegitimate son, dances in glee at Arthur’s “magnificent dilemma.” He says, “Let her die, your life is over. Let her live, your life’s a fraud. Which will it be, Arthur? Do you kill the queen or kill the law?” As the tragedy unfolds, Arthur stoically sacrifices his true love, “Let justice be done.”

The king watches in horror, heart shattered, as the guards lead Guinevere into the castle courtyard. The executioner chains her to the stake, waiting with his torch for the king’s signal to set the pyre ablaze. In the gripping agony of love, Arthur gives into his breaking heart. “I cannot let her die.” Mordred, relishing the downfall of the king, mutters, “Well, you are human after all, aren’t you, Arthur? Human and helpless.”

Guinevere is spared, but the dream of Camelot crumbles.

In his book, Windows of the Soul, Ken Gire compares the cross of Calvary with that climatic scene in the castle courtyard of Camelot. Think about it. God created his world and all within it and called it “good.” He loved his people so much that he made with them a covenant of relationship, a promise never broken by the Father. He loved them with all his being.

He handed them a set of principles by which they should live, asking for their obedience and commitment. Time and time again the world proved unfaithful, lost in the quagmire of its self-interest, rebellion and sin. Time and time again, the world was tried, convicted and deserving of death.

In the shadows, Satan gleefully watched as God faced his magnificent dilemma. “Let the world die, your life is over. Let the world live, your life’s a fraud. Which will it be, God? Do you kill the world or kill the law?”

Satan saw only a no-win scenario. God must turn away from his call to righteousness and ignore the sin of the world or hold to his principles and punish the world he loved. Either way. Satan wins. God loses. God, heart heavy in sorrow said, “I cannot let them die.” Satan smiled, relishing what he saw as the downfall of the Heavenly King. Helpless. But God was not finished with his redemptive act.

Filled with love for his created, the King left his throne. Took off his crown. Laid aside his scepter. Shrugged the royal robe from his shoulders. Traded his castle for a cross.

“Who, being the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on the cross!” Phil. 2:6-8

God took the sins of the world upon himself through his “only begotten son.” A sacred, sacrificial substitute for a world that deserved to die. Today, we still find it difficult to comprehend because we are incapable of loving anything as God so loved his children. For those of us who accept by faith the grace that is the cross, we find a promise of life eternal in the arms of a living Lord who loves us as no other loves us. God’s third option remains the hope for the world.

In a story of love and justice, Camelot ends in tragedy. Gire said it best, “When love and justice collide, only the Cross offers a happy ending.”

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16