Tidbits for Thought

RESURRECTION

Luke 24:6 “He is not here; He has risen.”

About a year after the Mt. Saint Helens explosion destroyed over two hundred thirty square miles of the surrounding forests, planes flying over the area observed thousands of green spots in the grey and bleakness of the destruction. When the pilots flew lower to better observe the phenomena, they discovered that each patch of green was in the distinct shape of a fallen elk, deer, or bear. Wherever the death occurred, there was now a resurrection of life in the forest pointing to the universal fact that death always precedes resurrection whether it is physical death or spiritual death. God wired resurrection into the DNA our world. Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous once wrote, “How privileged we are to understand so well the divine paradox that strength rises from weakness, that humiliation goes before resurrection, that pain is not only the price but the very touchstone of spiritual rebirth.” Wilson might very well have been reading from the Gospel accounts of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. The brutal murder of Jesus is without a doubt God’s ultimate paradox! Jesus gave up His strength to hang on that Cross and take the sins of the world on His body….and yet the surrender of His power and the humiliation of hanging naked before the world gave way to the beauty and mystery of the Resurrection. With the reality of the empty tomb and the words, “He is not here; He is risen,” the world would never be the same again. Death was conquered and the new order of love, compassion, and forgiveness was unleashed into the world. When we emerge from the waters of baptism after the pain and humiliation of confessing our sins, our life is resurrected from the darkness and confusion that surrounded us. When we accept forever and ever that the tomb was empty on that special Sunday so long ago, we experience the risen Christ that liberates us from  the slavery that obscures in us the image and likeness of God. We can walk through this life free of the burden of sin that weighs us down and makes us weary of living. We can walk through this life knowing that even when we experience our own Gethsemane, we are not alone in our agony. We can confidently stride through this world looking death directly in the eye without foreboding or dread. We can walk through this life with mercy and forgiveness in our heart, manifested through our very presence and actions. We can walk through this world touching and assisting the wounded and the down- hearted with His love. We can walk through this life with concern, compassion and love for ALL individuals accompanied with whatever kindness we find in our heart. We can skip through this world with the blessings of love, laughter, and joy as our constant companions. We can march through this world as walking, talking sermons…. instruments of the hand of God!

Think about it!                                                         ~ Aron Smith