Alive!

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay." Matthew 28:1-6


Celebrate what the angels said,
“Why look here when He’s not dead?”

Hallelujah, Hallelujah!
This is the day -
Sin like a stone is now rolling away.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah!
Love reaching down -
Handing us hope from on high. . .
He is alive!!!!

"Alive" - Jeff Peabody/Scott Krippayne

Saturday

The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again,' So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first." "Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.
Matthew 27:62-66

I think that Saturday must have been one of the longest days in the history of the world. He was dead. The disciples had all deserted. While he had told them what was going to happen, they hadn't understood. Jesus's "it is finished"(John 19:30), must have sounded to his followers ears like "it is all over." He's not who we thought he was. We were beginning to think maybe he was the Messiah. . .the one sent to save us. Instead of watching him take the throne, yesterday we watched him die.

Imagine the disciples' hopelessness at not having the whole picture. Without the resurrection, the crucifixion is pointless. It's not the climax of the story, it's the end. Without Sunday, Saturday is as grim as it gets.

How often that is how I live. God has told me in his Word time and again that He is in control. That he has a plan. That he will redeem the pain and sorrow and turn it into joy and dancing. But then comes a crisis. And Saturday rolls around, and I'm without hope. I forget all of His promises. Every one. I settle into the misery of my situation, feeling every bit as hopeless as things look. Forgetting the promises of the God I know. Forgetting that if he says he will redeem, he will redeem. If he says he will be faithful, he will be faithful. If he says he will rise, he will rise.

God, help us trust you. Remind us that we are not to the end of our stories yet. That this page in the middle may look grim, but there are more chapters to come. When things look hopeless, remind us that you are the God of hope.

Meg Henderson

Proof of Love

Please read Mark 15:16-39.
Click here to read this passage online

My college roommate kept telling me, "He is totally in love with you!", referring to Dave, when we were first dating. If I'd had to rely on my roommate's words reassuring me of Dave's love, I may have been less than convinced. Dave had to do that himself. I must say, his efforts were quite impressive. Once, he arranged for a row boat complete with a splendid picnic lunch hidden in a basket at the other end of a pond. Before I accept the reality of something to be true, I'll admit, I like to have proof of the sincerity and the validity of the person saying it. People go to unbelievable lengths to demonstrate their love for another. It is how we are wired, emotionally. God, in His infinite wisdom and understanding of how we think, knew this. He knew we may have a hard time wrapping our hearts around mere words. "God loves you."

If you read a review calling a movie a "profoundly beautiful love story", would you immediately think of 'The Passion of the Christ' by Mel Gibson? Honestly, I find the details of Christ's suffering to be very troubling and difficult to take in. But every excruciating detail of Christ's harrowing trial, beatings, and crucifixion is layered with graphic details of how far He was willing to go, how much He was willing to endure to demonstrate, to prove, His love for us. What is truly incredible and humbling in this love story is what God requires of me. He needed no proof of my love for HIm. in fact, the opposite is evident. He had plenty of proof that I was against Him, a sinner. "But God demonstrated (proved) His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us". Romans 5:8

When I take communion this Sunday, I take the cup, symbolizing Christ's blood, flowing from tortured flesh. "Remember", He says, "Remember that I love you."
I take the bread, symbolizing Christ's battered, broken body. "Remember", He says, "Remember I love you and I'd endure anything to prove it to you".

When I looked at the cross, I turned away.
My stomach twisted in nausea.
I did not want to look at this display of blood, torn flesh and ugliness,
"Spit", "naked", "scourged" - these words are disturbing
So I turn away.

He looked into my soul.
The stench of sin scratches at His pure nostrils,
The sewage that is coveting and lust.
There His holy eyes saw the festering, open sores of pride and selfishness.
Sin, formed a greasy layer over my soul.
He did not turn away.
"I love you", He said.

Shannon Wittenberg

If You Can’t Trust Your Friends…

Please read Matt 26:47-56.
Click here to read this passage online

Led on. Let down. Turned against. Sold out. Betrayed.

Unfortunately, nearly all of us know the feeling of being thrown under the bus by someone we had hoped would treat us better. We may have seen it coming, or maybe we didn’t. Either way, it hurt. The closer we felt to our betrayer, the deeper the wound and the greater the damage.

Jesus saw his own betrayal coming well in advance. It could even be said he set himself up; he chose his own betrayer. Standing in the garden that night, feeling Judas’ kiss on his cheek, he didn’t kick himself for trusting someone he shouldn’t have trusted. But because he was as human as you or me, I think Jesus felt it as deeply and painfully as any of us would have in his place. What would it feel like to know one of your closest friends would place you in the hands of the enemy with a smile and a kiss? Is it far-fetched to imagine that the human part of Jesus was hoping that just maybe, in some twist of the story God might throw in at the last minute, Judas would make a more honorable choice, that his friend wouldn’t be able to go through with the treachery he’d planned? Along with all the physical brutality Jesus knew lay ahead of him, at the moment of Judas’ kiss, he also felt the stab of having been sold out by a friend.
Skip to the end of the passage: “Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.” Ouch. Jesus wasn’t just betrayed by one of his disciples; he was betrayed by them all.

The betrayals I’ve experienced are microscopic compared to Jesus’ that night—or even compared to the devastating betrayals experienced by others I know. While I may not be quick to draw my sword and cut off an ear, neither am I quick to call my betrayer, “Friend.” Yet that’s exactly what Jesus did. Because as human as he was just then, Jesus is the opposite of treacherous; his name is Faithful and True [Rev. 19:11], and he is faithful and just [1 John 1:9]. Even as his friend abandoned him, Jesus did not abandon his friend.

Nothing about Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem and the cross was accidental. There are many ways he could have been taken into the hands of his enemies. Yet Scripture predicted he would be betrayed, and it happened that way on purpose. It’s worth asking why. I don’t even pretend to have the answers, but here are a couple things I see:

When I am disloyal and faithless, Jesus says, “Friend,” and offers me his forgiveness if I’m willing to accept it.
~“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

When I am wounded and hurting and alone, Jesus shows me his own pain and sacrifice, and comes alongside me with his love, comfort, and healing.
~“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
~“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

Jesus, I don’t know why betrayal was a key part of your journey to the cross for me. Perhaps to magnify even further the pain and injustice you were willing to endure to express your love for me. It’s as if you went to every length you could think of to make sure there was no way I could question the measure of your sacrifice. All I can do is say thank you. Thank you for forgiving me when I betray you, myself, and others. Thank you for being my healer when I am wounded, and for being faithful, trustworthy, and just. Please give me the courage and compassion to stand alongside others who have been betrayed, and to stand for you when the enemy comes threatening.

Krysti Hall