"Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, and in which you stand firm. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephasa and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. And last of all He appeared to me also, as to one of untimely birth."
~ 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
And so it is. The world is changed once and for all time.
Easter Monday, the day after Resurrection Sunday, whether people knew it or not at the time, when the sun rose the morning after the Son rose, everything was new, everything was different.
This morning, as the sun is rising, I cannot help but think of the impossible depths of that change. Darkness of the world to the truth of eternal light. Weight of the Law to chain-shattered freedom.
The stone is rolled away. The tomb is empty. He is risen indeed. And, we are free indeed.
It is the fulfillment of our faith. The fulfillment of all of the promises of the First Testament. All of it pointed to that moment, on that day, and standing in the Truth of it all, we are made new.
We know forgiveness.
We know joy.
We know peace.
We know renewal.
We can live light in The Light.
We can walk in the victory that has already been won.
All because of one moment in the yesterday of all those years ago.
This year, we had the joy of Passover beginning on Good Friday. The promise God made in that time, fulfilled all those years later.
It is now our job and our privilege to walk in that peace and joy, to be His salt and light, to stand in the victory with the bearing of a child of the King as we journey through this world.
That's something worth reminding ourselves, not just this Easter Monday, with the sunrise after the Son-rise, but with each new dawn.
Stew in that, my friends. Relish that Truth. And, go take the ground you were put here to take, make the difference you were designed to make.
Be love. Be light. And, know you are beloved, on earth and in eternity, so much so that there was a stone rolled away.
Abba Father,
Today, we thank You for the life and death of Your Son. We thank you with our every breath and every heartbeat, but today, in these words. Thank You for your mercy and grace. Thank You for the gift of true and ultimate forgiveness. And thank You for the privilege of walking in freedom, victory, and resurrection power. We are grateful. Thank You for helping us to know and live the Truth of it all in every breath.
In the name of Your Son, Yeshua, we pray.
"When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. But he said to them, 'Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here! See the place where they put Him...'" ~ Mark 16:5-6
"For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand." ~ Psalm 16:10-11
"Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God." ~ Ephesians 5:1-2
May the Good Lord bless you and keep you, friends... always, in all ways. Amen.
Bonus song of praise... ♥
(This is really wonderful. Until today, I had no idea that Pentatonix had covered this Chris Tomlin declaration of worship.)
Sharables! ...and, hey, thanks for sharing. ♥
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