Living Hope

The older I get the more excited (dare I say emotional) I get about Easter. As I come to understand the depth of my brokenness and my desperate need for a savior, the more awe I have for the sacrifice of Christ and the power of His resurrection. As all this bundle of revelation, emotion and excitement come together, the more I realize what a time of thanksgiving Easter truly is.

1 Peter 1:3-4 brings this into focus for me:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you

Kistemaker says Peter wrote this letter to "testify to God’s true grace and to offer a message of hope and encouragement"; true hope, living hope. This is a hope that goes beyond the circumstances of life. If we look at this passage the first thing we see is praise, the proper position for us all as we come to understand and believe, we then see the relationship God and Father of our Lord which can only begin to point us to the great mercy that we are provided as believers.

This is a new mercy that leads us to a new birth; a spiritual rebirth into a new life. This is a life of living hope; a hope that is personal, living and active. It is a hope that is part of us and our lives. It is a hope that is always there. We may lose sight of it from time to time, but it is the hope that will always be there for us.

It is amazing to me that this hope stems from the power of the resurrection of Christ; hope that is realized and living because Christ overwhelmed the grave and conquered death. That is true and living hope and this hope show us as believers we have something to hope for; an inheritance…what? In fact an inheritance that; no matter what is going on in our lives, can never perish, spoil of fade; an inheritance that is kept in heaven, an inheritance that is eternal.

Praise be to God; for He has risen, He has risen indeed. May we all recognize the living hope through the resurrection of our Lord and Savior; Jesus Christ; the hope of an inheritance that is eternal, the living hope of a child of God! Amen…

Happy Easter – Grace and Peace!

He Bore Our Griefs

As Easter approaches I spend time reflecting on the perfection of Christ, His atoning sacrifice for each of us, and the awe that He inspires in me. Recently I came upon a poem written in 1630 by Jacobus Revius; a Dutch poet, theologian and church historian. Seems so appropriate.





He Bore Our Griefs

No, it was not the Jews who crucified,
 Nor who betrayed you in the judgment place,
 Nor who, Lord Jesus, spat into your face,
 Nor who with buffets struck you as you died.

No, it was not the soldiers fisted bold 
Who lifted up the hammer and the nail,
 Or raised the cursed cross on Calvary’s hill,
 Or, gambling, tossed the dice to win your robe.

I am the one, O Lord, who brought you there,
 I am the heavy cross you had to bear,
 I am the rope that bound you to the tree,

The whip, the nail, the hammer, and the spear,
 The blood-stained crown of thorns you had to wear: 
It was my sin, alas, it was for me.

Grace and Peace!

Overwhelmed

Our Church is in the middle of a series on faith; working through Hebrews 11. We are looking at all the heroes of faith and their example. As Easter has been approaching I have been thinking a lot about what an example (the perfect example) we have in Christ.

Many times I get drawn to Matthew 26:36-39;

36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." 39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

This passage has such an impact on me; I can’t seem to shake it. My Lord and Savior is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. I’ve often wondered what this really means; was He overwhelmed knowing the pain and torture; was he overwhelmed knowing the denial He was about to face; was He overwhelmed by the prospect of some type of separation from God; was He overwhelmed for each of us? I think it is some combination of all and even more.

And what an example he provided. By faith he prayed for the cup to be taken; by faith (and this is remarkable to me) He prayed “Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Trusting God’s plan no matter what; knowing all things are for the good of those that love Him!

I just get overwhelmed to the point of shouting; Hallelujah! This Easter I was struct by a lyric from a Chris Tomlin song; I Will Rise. In this song Chris sings that Jesus has overwhelmed the grave. I linked these two overwhelms together and was in awe. Going from overwhelmed by sorrow to overwhelming the grave for each of us.

Psalm 65 tells us;

3 When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions.

Easter means so much to me, knowing no matter how overwhelmed by sin I am; Christ loves me and sacrificed His all for me; He forgives me with open arms. That is just so overwhelming! Amen – Happy Easter All…He is risen!

Grace and Peace!

Two Thieves

I recently shared the impact this Easter was having on me and described it as struggling with emotion; but in a good way I think. I keep getting drawn to certain passages related to the week leading up to the crucifixion, the crucifixion itself and the great hope provided by the resurrection. I love it when this happens as this is usually a period of growth for me. Recently, I have been drawn to Luke 23:32-43.

32Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."[a] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

35The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." 36The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." 38There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 40But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[b]"

43Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

I have read this passage, read it again, studied commentaries and a couple of sermons on this passage, yet I kept getting the feeling there was a little more. The feeling that there was something underlying it all and I have come to see something challenging; something convicting, perhaps something for us all.

I focus on Christ and the two thieves crucified with Him. I focus on the Word, what is being said and how it is being said and I came to realize that I too am one of the thieves. Aren’t we all? And the great question; the great challenge (at least for me) is which thief will I (we) be? Will it be the one hurling insults, railing against God and demanding of Christ; prove who you are by saving me. Or will I (we) be the thief with a humble heart that recognizes his own brokenness, acknowledges Christ as his Lord and pleas with all his heart to be remembered in his Savior’s Kingdom?

For me this will be a lifelong challenge, but think of the reward. You know there is great hope and these thieves show us the way. While these thieves may show us the way don’t focus on the thieves. Don’t focus on the cross to the left or the right, but focus on the cross in the center; the Cross of Christ.

One day, may we be with Christ in Paradise for all eternity…wow!

Grace and Peace!