Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us
to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead… 1 Peter 1:3
We continue today from yesterday, talking about how Christ has called us all by name for a life of meaningful purpose, a life of hope, and a life of new possibilities!
A popular tourist attraction in Vietnam is a visit to the Royal
Tombs. There are old women who give
guided tours through those tombs. They light candles before the various
exhibits to show the visitor the nooks and crannies of the tombs. When the day
is done and the tourists gave gone home, the guides put out the candles and
they go to bed in the tombs. That's where they live -- in the tombs. That's
where they pass their days and spend their nights -- in the tombs.
And many of us do the same.
We live (if you can call it living!) as if life was a dead end and the world
was our tomb. We plod through our daily routine as if the Cross were the last
word on Jesus. We worry and fret over petty matters as if Christ had not
conquered death. We allow ourselves to be manipulated by the fallen powers of
this world as if the Risen Lord does not rule the Universe. We carry on our
dreary business as usual, trudging deeper and deeper into the rut, as if the Firstborn
from the dead were not the beginning of a whole new order of creation.
The "Peace" rose
is probably the most popular rose in the world. In 1939 a French rose-grower
named Meilland found one single seed among his hybrids, and that solitary seed
grew into the beautiful Peace rose. Peace roses are grown all over the world
today, and every one of them came from that single, unique, one-of-a-kind seed.
Jesus Christ is our
first-fruits. From the seed of Christ's Resurrection will come the eternal
harvest of every Christian. His Resurrection is the root of our own. His life
is the Source of our life. His victory is the assurance of our victory. His
promise is our hope. Do you hear your
name being called?
Do you hear Christ calling you to a life of new possibilities?
The New Testament often
talks about the need for change: Repent!
We tend to think that repentance is simply sorrow over our mistakes, but
the Greek word which is translated "repentance" in most English Bibles
literally means "a change of mind, a transformation of one's
thinking."
Change begins with our own
hunger for new possibilities, and that desire for change finds its fulfillment
in the power unleashed through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
At times we may feel entombed
by our circumstances: the report from the doctor isn't encouraging; the money
didn't come through; my job is going nowhere; this relationship is a mess, and
I don't know how to fix it; why can't I get my eating or my drinking under
control? These pressures and deadlines are killing me. Nobody understands me.
If God could raise Jesus
from the grave, then God can free us from the tomb of our limitations and
constraints. If God could roll away the
stone that sealed Jesus in the grave, then God can roll away the stumbling
stones that litter our path. If God
could shatter the chains of Death, then God can surely strike off every fetter
that keeps us from living fully and abundantly.
If God could open up eternal possibilities for a Crucified Man lying in
a borrowed tomb, then God can surely open up a new course for you and me!
Christ is calling you today, calling you by name.
Christ is calling you to life: a life of hope, a life of meaning, a life of new
possibilities, a life of joy, a life of commitment. Christ is calling you to a
Resurrection life. Don't miss it! Don't sleep through it! It's Easter! Christ
has risen, and so should you! So should we all!
Scripture to Claim:
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10
