Hope Arising

The event that we gather to celebrate today is the pivotal event in human history. More than any other single moment, the resurrection of Christ has shaped the course of eternity. And whether you realize it or not, it is very important to you as well. The story is a famous one. It has been called ‘the greatest story ever told.’ And although it is almost universally known as the good news, it has its dark elements as well. It begins in eternity past, when God foresaw that the natural tendency of man, if given a free will, would be to seek after his own desires and fall into sin. When God considered the situation with all of His attributes in mind, He saw that sin must have a price or His justice and His righteousness would be brought into question. Yet, His deep love for that which He created demanded that He find a way to pay that price and redeem man to Himself. Everything that we see take place in the crucifixion story was a part of that plan. The depravity of man had caused the world to be a dark and hopeless place. The Law only pointed out more distinctly how feeble, no, how futile, man’s attempts at righteousness were. The promises of God had been misconstrued and misdirected by the Jewish religious leaders to such an extent that they did not recognize their fulfillment, even in the face of Christ’s miraculous works. The Pharisees had created an image of God that was stern and harsh and lacked any compassion on those who had stumbled and fallen. When things got tough, most found themselves discarded as useless, with little hope of forgiveness or restoration. But Jesus came with a different message. He told of a loving Father, Who longed to forgive and restore. He told of a personal relationship and a daily walk with a God who desired to answer our prayers. He told of a God of compassion Whose love had led Him to send His own precious Son to deliver them from the bondage of sin. And as the multitudes heard His message, the light of hope began to rise in their hearts and they began to catch just a glimpse of how deep the Father’s love for us really is.  This blessed event is a celebration of hope. It is in Christ's resurrection that hope is reborn.  Because He lives, we too shall live.  Hallelujah! He is risen!

Partly Sunny With a Chance of a Resurrection

So here is an example of why I named my blog, Crossing Honey Creek.  On my way into town to work out this morning, this was the scene.  The picture doesn't quite do it justice since you can't see the steam rising off the lake back in the background, but the wonders of God's creation are certainly on display.  It made me wonder what the weather was like on the Saturday before the resurrection.  I know, strange thought, but bear with me for a moment.  In the still morning moments of beautiful days like this, I take comfort in seeing evidence of God's power and His love.  I can be dealing with devastating loss, secret pain, hidden fears, or quiet desperation, but somehow knowing that God is evident in the world all around me gives me the confidence that He cares and has the power to do something about my situation.  I have to look a little harder on dreary days, but His creative genius can be seen in the power of a storm as well.  So I wonder what it was like on that Saturday morning, when the disciples were struggling to deal with their loss, fighting their fears, and questioning everything that they had come to believe over the last three years.  Could they see the handiwork of the Creator and take comfort that these events had not caught Him by surprise?  Did they hear the birds singing and realize that with God all things are possible and that hope had not died with their beloved Master?  Or did they hear the thunder crashing and see the lightning flash across the sky and realize that the power of God was not diminished and that He might not be finished working on their behalf.  Whatever the weather, it was a dreary day in the hearts of Jesus' followers.  I wonder what I would have done to deal with my sorrow.  I think I would have wandered down to the Sea of Galilee for a little visual reminder of the God that I love and serve. 

The Brightest Light in the Darkest Night

As we prepare to celebrate Resurrection Sunday, I think it is good for us to remember the extreme darkness of the days leading up to that eternity-changing event.  The disciples had endured a long and harrowing night.  It had begun with Christ offering them words of comfort and inviting them to enter into a new covenant with Him, a new testament in His blood.  From the upper room they hurried to Gethsemene where they heard Him cry out to His Father in those intense moments when the plan of redemption hung in the balance.  Their apprehension turned to fear for their lives as they saw Judas and his cohorts approaching.  Suddenly the hopes and aspirations that they had allowed to grow in their hearts over the last three years seemed to be dashed on the rocks as Christ was taken by the mob and led to the house of the high priest to be judged.  Most ran away in fear, but Peter's curiosity led him to warm himself by the devil's fire and when interrogated, he denied that he even knew this gentle man with whom he had walked upon the water.  As the rooster crowed and Peter looked up into the eyes of the one he had betrayed, the night closed in around him and got that much darker.  The depravity of man's nature and the basest passions that Satan could arouse in the Jews and the Romans led to a night filled with torture and mockery and as crucifixion day dawned it was clear to all concerned that any hope for deliverance had long since slipped away.  As the disciples witnessed their Messiah suffering and dying, the overriding feeling must have been one of deep confusion and despair.  Had it all been a lie? Could this really be happening?  They had convinced themselves that  He was the Promised One, but these events didn't seem to fit.  They flew in the face of the promise of hope and power and deliverance from oppression.  The blood, the spit, the mockery, the humiliation; none of these things meshed with their expectations for the Messiah.  And so, as they took His body down from the cross and prepared it for burial in a borrowed tomb, it seemed as if their hope had died with Him.  As the Sabbath day arrived, requiring them to cease their preparation of the body for burial, it seemed to bring with it the frustration of an unfinished story.  The triumphant story of victory and deliverance that they had expected, suddenly turned into one of uncertainty and apparent defeat.  And what was next?  They had worked it all out in their heads, this Messianic reign with Jesus sitting on the throne and all of them sitting close by in positions of power and authority.  But what now?  With their leader laying in a grave, could their own demise be very far behind?
How could they have been deceived?  How could God let this happen?  These were their thoughts during those dark, dark days while Jesus' body lay in that guarded tomb. 
You've heard it said that it is always darkest, just before the dawn.  Well, it had never been darker than at that moment.  But there had also never been a greater hope than that which was about to dawn upon this world.  With the breaking of the dawn, Christ, Who is our light, walked out of that tomb and commanded darkness to flee.  He appeared holding the keys to death and hell that He had snatched from Satan's grip.  And He walked out with the power to offer eternal life to all who would believe in Him, because He had paid the price for their souls with His precious blood.
So from the darkest night in human history the brightest light began to shine and it is bright enough to illuminate the darkest night of the soul.
The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is the source of light for a sin-darkened world, and God has called us to carry that light to its darkest corners.   
It's time to go!