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HE IS RISEN! A glorious and blessed Easter Sunday to you and yours, and may your celebration of the resurrection of our Lord be deeply meaningful to your spirit today. It is a beautiful day to feast and celebrate with family and loved ones, and a wonderful opportunity to pause and reflect on the most momentous event in history. Those of us who follow Jesus and celebrate this day are making an absolutely audacious claim: we believe that in His death and resurrection, God the Son took our sin and shame upon Himself; defeated death, hell, and the grave; and made a way for us to be with God forever in eternity. Many of our friends and neighbors think we’re crazy for really believing such a thing. They humor us (at least for now) and think, “sure, it’s fine to call yourself a Christian, but don’t go overboard.” But, since Jesus' resurrection has truly, factually, historically happened, it cannot be ignored. It requires that every person answer this question found in Luke 9… Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, He asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Recently, I was able to be a part of a bus tour through the mountains of Greece. This tour retraced some of the steps of the Apostle Paul on his second missionary journey, visiting Corinth, Athens, Berea, Thessaloniki and Philippi. How amazing it is to be somewhere where such significant historical things have occurred! I’ve noticed before how much easier it is for me to realize the length and breadth of God’s story when I step outside of my modern Texan neighborhood into a place with such ancient roots. At Wal-Mart, it's difficult to remember most anything about the big picture, but beside the river at Philippi where Lydia and her household were baptized, the Bible comes to life! The Bible is not just an old, dusty, outdated book that needs to be reinterpreted for a new generation. It is a record of real people and real events in real places. It shows us a picture of our great God who was then and is still now graciously inviting us into relationship with Himself. In the Bible we can read that as Jesus, the perfect representation of God the Father, walked this earth, He invited people to follow Him. As they did, they watched Him do all kinds of amazing things. He drew crowds everywhere He went, healing the sick, delivering people from all kinds of oppressive and destructive spirits, even bringing the dead back to life. He spoke amazing words of life and hope, and made revolutionary statements of a very different Kingdom that He was bringing to earth, in which the people would be known not because they were the biggest or loudest or strongest, but because of their humility, meekness, and peacemaking. He was kind and approachable - women and children were drawn to Him in a time which both were considered lesser. Many people loved Him, and a few hated Him with a passion; regardless of which side people landed upon, it is easy to say that people of that time and place had a very hard time ignoring Jesus. So the scene was set for Jesus to confront His closest followers with the most important question in the world - “Who do you say that I am?” And it was at this moment that Peter had the revelation that the entire church is built upon: that Jesus was Messiah, the Son of the Living God, the King they’d been waiting for all those long years. In this passage of Luke 9, Jesus answers Peter, and I encourage you to take the time to look up and read what He said. It is especially meaningful at Easter. But for now, please notice how the passage continues in verse 28... About eight days after Jesus said this, He took Peter, John and James with Him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about His departure, which He was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to Him.” Just a little over a week after Peter's magnificent revelation, Jesus invited His closest friends to witness something marvelous - what we now call the transfiguration. Fully man and also fully God, Jesus met at the top of the mountain with the physical representation of the law and the prophets - what an amazing gathering! The veil of time and space between here and Heaven was somehow lifted for a moment; the three old friends stood talking about Jesus' own great exodus that was coming shortly. Both Moses and Elijah and all that they represented had always pointed to the great Messiah, and now Jesus was here, preparing to cross the gap between death and life for all of us, forever breaking the curse of sin and death! Peter, James, and John witnessed Jesus in all His glory, which much have been a tremendous sight to behold. I can't say that I would have done anything different than Peter, who immediately started chatting and making unhelpful suggestions. When I get nervous, I get chatty, too! Peter thought, here is Moses the deliverer we've heard so much about, and Elijah the great prophet - now Jesus is here! Let's build all three important leaders a shelter and stay here forever. In other words, Peter might have understood that Jesus was Messiah, but didn't yet know exactly what that meant. This is where so many land today - mentally assenting, like Peter and the other disciples had, that Jesus is the Messiah; believing in Him, but needing to realize... Jesus isn’t just a wonderful teacher and friend we all love to be around because He makes us feel so good. He isn’t just a great leader for His generation, another Moses or Elijah. He isn’t just the perfect respresentation of all that humanity was created to be, someone we can aspire to emulate in action and morals. Jesus is the Christ, God the Son The Orthodox Church of this area of the world has long referred to Him as Jesus Pantocrator - Jesus, King of the Universe. Knowing WHO HE IS can change your life.  a striking icon of Jesus Pantocrator, located at St. Catherine's monastery on Sinai On this Resurrection Day, Who do you say that He is? Let Christ the King take the sin and shame from your life, and bring peace and rest into your troubled soul. Let Him fill your heart with joy and hope through His Holy Spirit. Let Him carry your burdens, for they are not too heavy for His strong hands. This marvelous King has conquered sin and death, and has overcome this broken world! He encourages us, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."  I just got off an airplane, part of a journey to see our daughter. She and her husband live in the state just next door which sounds like it should be close, but of course Texas is enormous. By car the trip from my front door to hers is 14 hours, but by airplane the bulk of the distance is covered in only an hour and a half! This is wonderful, the only drawback being that it is usually a very tiny plane. My seat-mate today was a woman in my own abuela age group, who told me she was finishing 30 hours of flying to get home after a long work assignment. She slept almost the entire hour and a half, which is understandable after all that traveling. But what struck me is how she crossed herself and prayed as we were speeding down the runway to takeoff. It always ministers to me to see people express their faith in and love for God. I may never see her again until heaven, but her prayer blessed me today. As I am writing this, it is also Sunday, and just two weeks until the most important Sunday of the year… Resurrection Sunday. What an amazing thing it is to think of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for all of us! God the Son left the glory and majesty of heaven to come here to this broken earth, to live such an uncelebrated life and to die such an ignominious death, so that we could be with Him forever. This is cause for serious celebration, and the days leading up to Easter can fill us with fresh wonder and gratitude for all Jesus has done. When we were very young, and just starting out in life and ministry, it used to be common in our kind of fellowship for someone to sing a “special.“ Do you remember these? Some of you will for sure, and you will also remember that some of them were very special, indeed! Regardless of how good any of us were at this church karaoke, I did my part back in those days and sang quite a number of these special songs. One of my favorites of all time was the Twila Paris song How Beautiful, and I've had that song in my head all day today, "How beautiful is the body of Christ!"  My favorite loaf to celebrate the Lord's Table Of course, this term "The Body of Christ" can cause us to reflect on several different things. It refers first to the literal, physical body of Jesus: His hands that reached out to heal and deliver, His face that was bright with a welcoming smile even women and children could trust, His mouth that spoke the wonderful news of His Kingdom wherever He went, His back that bore such terrible stripes so that our bodies could be healed, His heart that broke under the terrible weight of the sins of the world, His hands and feet that were pierced and immobilized so that we could know true freedom, His side that was pierced and allowed the water and the precious blood to flow freely. How beautiful is the body of Christ! And then there is another lovely meaning; how beautiful is the spiritual body of Christ. I think of my seat-mate today, and wonder what her story is. English was her second language, so I can guess that our stories are different, save for the most important part of the beautiful Savior that we both know and love. How beautiful are my brothers and sisters all over the world, who have the same precious blood of Jesus Christ flowing in their hearts and lives. The gospel message has spread for over 2000 years now, from the holy land in which Jesus lived and died, rose again, and ascended into heaven, all across time, all around the globe. How beautiful is every hand extended in the name of the Savior, and every foot that takes a step to share the great news with neighbors near and far. How beautiful is the body of Christ! Each of us has our own story which is a small part of His glorious story, and this is another facet of the Body of Christ. We have had our own joys, victories, struggles, even tragedies, and the Lord works through these in each of our hearts and lives, to transform us into the image of His beautiful son. Every joy that we experience, He rejoices along with us and broadens our hearts with His goodness. Every struggle that we face, He is right there, faithful to give us grace to endure and be strengthened in the process. Corrie ten Boom had such a wonderful illustration of this with the embroidery that she often carried with her. She would hold up the back of the piece, which always looks like a terrible knotted jumbled mess, and point out that each of our lives seems similar looking from that angle - like a big random mess. But when you turn it around and see from God‘s perspective, it is a beautiful work of art… a masterpiece. (Eph. 2:10) Take that a step further: collectively, our lives paint a picture of our heavenly Father and His Kingdom. Each of us in Christ's body reflect a different piece of His character. He knit each of us together in our mothers' wombs, and is brilliant in the way that He brings us together in our own generation, time, and location to show a watching world His goodness and faithfulness, His mercy and His grace. Our stories and our lives are connected and can work together to accomplish His purpose in our own generation. How beautiful is the body of Christ! Is there someone that you are having a hard time appreciating, someone who also professes faith in Christ? Perhaps someone has mistreated you, slandered you, hurt you. Stop and think again – you are both part of this beautiful body of Jesus. Can the thumb despise the knee? Should the ring finger wish ill upon the liver? It sounds silly to say such a thing, but this is reality. No matter what someone has done or said or even thought, the blood of the Savior of the world flows through each of our veins, and we cannot be at odds with one another in Christ's body. His grace and forgiveness have been lavished upon each of us, and we must extend the same grace and forgiveness to one another. How beautiful is the body of Christ! As we come nearer to the most holy day of the year, let our hearts be filled with wonder at the beauty of Christ and His body. Let our faith be strengthened and renewed; let our hope be built as we wait for His soon return; let our minds be renewed again through the washing of His word. May we be able to forgive even our worst enemies in the same lavish and generous way God has forgiven us, and treat others the way we wish to be treated. May we love Him with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, and may we love each of our neighbors as we love ourselves. Let your light shine brightly this week as you rest in the fact that you are an important and significant part of the beautiful body of Jesus Christ!  |
Hi! I'm Mary - mother to two wonderful grown daughters, wife to an incredible husband, and loving our life in the piney woods of Texas... (read more!)
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