Now What?

Happy Sunday!

            I like Sundays.  I like to go to church, worship in song, hear good teaching, and visit with God’s people.  It can be fun, meaningful and comforting.  I like sipping my coffee on Sunday morning while reading my Bible. Our service starts late, so sometimes the piano gets played.  Dressing up is favored, because it’s fun, not forced.  I even like to inspect my sons and make sure they’ve brushed their teeth!  This is trickier than you might think!!

            Some of my boys have an aversion to combs, soap, toothbrushes, nice clothes and deodorant.  But one must have standards, even in a locker room!  Sunday’s a good day to enforce those standards.  It’s special.

            On the most important Sunday in history a couple of angels told some distraught women, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead?   He is not here, but He has risen.  Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again” (Luke 24:5b-7).  What a magnificent way to start a Sunday!

            Why do you seek the living One among the dead?  Such a question – why?  The angels didn’t understand.  Jesus told His disciples how it was going to go.  The angels wondered how they could have forgotten what He said.  Perhaps they didn’t have much experience with distraught women.  How easy it is to let our experience, circumstance and disappointment cloud our belief.  Out of death and suffering, despair and fear – victory!  He did just what He told them He would do.  He rose.

           

           We seek the living, not the dead!  We have a living Lord – not a story or a wish – the real deal.  Our God is alive and we get to meet with Him.  We aren’t practicing a ritual or tradition.  We are cultivating a relationship with a living King and Priest.  Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16).

            Those ladies were dumbfounded.  And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.  And behold Jesus met them and greeted them.  And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him (Matthew 28:8-9).  Jesus met with those ladies and they got to worship at His feet, can you imagine?  How awesome that must have been!

            Jesus appeared to two disciples as they were walking along on the road to Emmaus.  Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures (Luke 24:27).  Not bad for the first Sunday sermon!  Can you imagine what that must have been like?  To hear the Word of God expounded upon by the Son of God!  Wow, can you just imagine?  Surely there were no critiques of that sermon!

            After appearing to His disciples numerous times, before He ascended to heaven, he said:  “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:7-8).  Jesus went to the Father, but the Holy Spirit dwells in us and goes wherever we go.  That’s sobering, reassuring, and wonderful – whom shall we fear?  What is there to worry about, seriously?

            Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?  If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).  Now that puts how we live, what we think, and what we harbor in our heart in a whole new light doesn’t it?  A temple, a home where the Lord resides, a holy place - that is what we are if we are His.

          Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.  The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.  You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near (James 5:7-8).

            Happy Sunday!  Rejoice!!  He is near!!!