Today’s news

Jesus Christ is Risen!

Read John 20 for the full account!

20 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Jesus and Thomas

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Purpose of This Book

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

He is Risen, indeed!

Alleluia!

Breaking through

God created the way to enter into fellowship with Him.

God took the form of a man – Jesus – and took on all of sins of the world to pave the way, to make the path, to secure salvation for us.

He sees what we cannot see. He gives what we cannot give.

And He loves in ways we cannot comprehend.

This Jesus, our Jesus, took on the sin, pain, guilt, and shame. It is challenging enough for me to think about it in terms of my own sin.

But what about that one who hurt my loved one, did something vile to me or my family, has no remorse or regret, is blind to the consequences of their sin — and isn’t even convinced they have sinned?

Jesus died for all – even them.

Our sin is heavy, it can be debilitating, it can be suffocating. It is a burden.

Drag your burdens to the cross. Leave them there. Trust in God — He is working on your behalf. He has provided the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Jesus can carry it all.

Sacrifices

Some sacrifices hold more weight than others.

We might come close to imagining the weight of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. But it is heavy.

Jesus took on all of our

missteps
mistakes
selfishness
arrogance
rebellion
insistence
anger
hatred
violence
lies
deceit
cheating
unbelief
denial
sins

Our list alone is enough. And then multiply it by all of humanity. All that has and all that will happen.

All for us.

This is a gift from God. This is sacrifice. This is Jesus.

Things tossed in a box…

Have you ever tossed things in a box and closed it up and tucked it away and forgot about it for a chunk of time?

It is so easy for me to think about that for physical things because it has happened to me several times. We have moved a time or two so it most often has happened then but it has also happened when I have a box of things I am not sure about so I gather them, put the somewhere and then it is a big surprise when I pull it out.

It’s so easy for me to forget about what I have — like that mini muffin tin I couldn’t find only to buy a new one and then find the old one less than a week later.

Or that can opener I set down in the pantry. Couldn’t find. And after I finally bought a substandard one (and used it) I found the other one less than 24 hours later. Ugh!

I do this with tangible things — what about those intangibles? Things that are gifts from God that I set aside and forget about like

Prayer

Have you ever set it aside and stopped using this amazing form of connecting with God? I think it happens to everyone at one point. Things happen, life takes a wild turn, and pretty soon it has been days when you are not connecting with God.

Don’t forget about this gift!

Dust it off if it has been set aside. Dig into God’s Word for some amazing Psalms as examples or utilize The Lord’s Prayer. Hymns can be another great prayer offering.

Are there other good gifts from our Heavenly Father that you may not be utilizing? Let this be an encouragement for you to remember them and utilize them.

When I am afraid…

I love that when I hear the start of that I automatically finish it off with “I will trust in You, I will trust in You!” from Psalm 56:3 Thank you Steve Green and Hide ’em in Your Heart music!

Whether there are big looming fears for the world or just small things that I am concerned about I need this easy reminder that God is the one I trust in…

not world leaders…

not bank accounts…

not employers…

not my abilities…

not ________________ [fill in the blank]

I have had to practice reminding myself this. There have been times that I have been fearful, of course. But a short rundown of all the ways God has provided for me usually brings me back to a more even keel.

I am so thankful God has me on His mind. He knows what I come up against and my tendency to fall into that fear trap. When I take my eyes off of Him is surely the times that I stumble.

And I feel badly for those who have no use for God and yet live in fear over so much. I know several people who have no use for God but are in a state of high anxiety. I am going to be bold and ask God to open the door with them for a conversation about Him. I am open to having the discussion but I want it to come from their questions and desire to have more peace in their lives.

Setting the tone

It’s a heavy week in the Christian world. There are so many moments — highs and lows — and I feel them.

From Jesus coming to the people, riding on a donkey…

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!”

to the dark days of deception and distance and darkness and death…

to the Resurrection!!!

And everything in between! So much is happening.

And while we can read about it sometimes we can even feel it. It may feel more real as we sit in a worship service during this week and hear The Word preached or it may be wrapped up in our confession or creed or a hymn. It can also be felt and, maybe, better conceptualized when we see a re-enactment or watch a film about it —

For me, at least, it is so hard to imagine the triumph of this week in the midst of the deep darkness, but it is worth wrestling with. It helps me understand just a little bit more about the depths of God’s love for me and what He has done for me.

The sacrifice. The death. The resurrection.

God’s provision for us is all encompassing. It is the beginning and the end.

He is the beginning and the end. And everything in between.

May your week be filled with awe and wonder at the heights and depths of God’s love and provision for you!

Consistency

Lately I have been evaluating how I so quickly can fall off “the wagon.” And for the sake of transparency, I mean any wagon that I want to be on whether it be the exercise, daily Bible reading, daily vitamins, cleaner language, or mindful eating wagon.

Mind you, I want to be on each of those wagons.

Finding ways of doing things without thinking — like automatic routines — can help me in most of those cases.

Having a buddy to walk with, read the Bible with, a simple vitamin organizer, more time around grandchildren, or great food choices in the house and paying attention to my hunger and enough cues are all ways I have tried to set myself up for success. I definitely benefit from a bit of accountability and routine or I get pulled by the sway of the day and my emotions at the moment.

I look at these things as guardrails or curbs that benefit me — both in the short term and the long term.

And, if the idea of guardrails or curbs sounds a wee bit familiar, you might be thinking about your small catechism — and some of the purpose of the law.

You can delve into all of it here: https://catechism.cph.org/

I do like to hold books in my hand but since my phone or computer are never too far away from me, it is really nice to have Luther’s Small Catechism handy.

At any rate, God gives us resources to be successful even though He knows we cannot do any of it apart from Him. So, He provides for our successes while acknowledging we will fail. He loves us even so and this week we hear about it in so many different ways.

I pray you will take time to see what ways God provides for you and recognize those good gifts. This is the week we see the depths of His love and let it permeate us in a deeper way. And let us carry forward what we learn and share it far and wide!

Selective obedience

I can be pretty rebellious.

I think it is because of several early run ins with corrupt authority. I will take requests under consideration but I will always question motives. Even though this might be my natural bent, it’s not my fault that it has been so well developed. It is in part my own sinful nature and the sinful nature I bumped up against from 6-16 or so.

I do know and trust God completely, but I still find myself doing the easy obedience things and not the ones that take some effort or denial of self. I can do easy. I can do hard, but that seems to be where I am a bit resistant.

But selective obedience isn’t really obedience, especially when we are talking about the God of the Universe, the God who has blessed me with so much.

Who am I to pick and choose?

I have been granted free will — for good and for bad. It would be much easier if I would just decide once and for all to follow and not

…wander

…get distracted

…stumble

…fall

…question

…hesitate

…protest

…throw a fit

…get lost

…try to negotiate something different

…forget

…________________ [fill in the blank]

And yet He loves me still!

And He loves you, too!

Step by step He will lead me. And I truly do want to follow Him all of my days. I just need to hang on the hem of His garment and stick close!

Rebelling

I don’t mind going against the flow a bit. Sometimes I like to do it for the sake of argument.

But I have to ask myself why I rebel against the very thing I want? It makes no sense.

And then I remember this verse from the Bible:

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. Romans 7:18-20 ESV

And the struggle is real. I can hear it in my mind. And, if I close my eyes, I can almost see the battle play out before me.

It is a condition of my human nature. . I know I will not win every battle, in fact, it isn’t even me that can win. I have God on my side if I can follow the Holy Spirit’s guiding. And God, through Jesus, has surely won the war.

What good thing have you been rebelling against?

First things…

I think I have too many first things on my morning list.

My day got rolling yesterday and while I had thought about prayerpoints multiple times, i decided to write it after I did something else and then

**Poof**

It left my mind!

So, I suppose it is a cautionary tale. And I am moving it to the top of my day — but not before coffee.

And it is a great reminder to me how things can get set aside and then not get picked back up for longer than you had hoped. So I can be more understanding when that happens to others.

But also a great reminder to myself to not pack in too much and expect to remember it all.

So, if something important has slipped off of your routine, there is no time like today to get it back in the line up. Let the most important things be the first things! And if you have a number of things, make a list!

Thank you, Lord, for the days full of interesting tasks. Help me to really prioritize so that the most important things come first. Amen.