I am loving this lent exercise by #rethinkchurch! It forces me to go back to scripture, not that I don't go to scripture, but it has forced me to look at it in a new way. Is it theologically correct or very exegetical, NO! but God has been moving through this. "The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Each morning I see the word that is given for the day on the screensaver of my laptop. The first thing I do is go to biblegateway.com and look up the word for the day in scriptures. I look down through the list reading through many of the scriptures that are listed. I read and listen as to what verse clearly displays that very word? Once I find that word I find a picture that goes along with it.
This morning I was struck by the passage of scripture I had read many times yet this afternoon one thing stood out to me. The passage was Matthew 28-7-9 "Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” so the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him."
What struck me was, of course they were afraid, they left with joy! They did not question as to what happened to the body, they did not cry because he was missing. They simply believed! I'm not sure why it struck me this way, but it did. This week dear friend, ok my brother from another mother, Todd Porter lost a dear friend and who was also his youth pastor. He was honored to be asked to do his eulogy and in that eulogy he shared this: "When Dan was the youth pastor at another church he broke his leg playing basketball with the teens. Dan fell to the ground screaming in pain, “praise Jesus, I broke my leg!” I can assure you that if it happened to me I would not have even thought to say that. But that is who Dan was. A teen that was there during the incident made the decision to receive Jesus as his Leader and Forgiver that day, because of Dan’s example of faith." Now... like Todd I'm not sure that I could not have had that kind of joy, but Dan did and I believe that both Mary's did as well. May we live each day, whatever the circumstance, with the joy that He has risen from the dead.
