March 10, 2019
A Journey to Easter
JUST AS HE SAID….
“He is not here; he has risen, just as He said. Come and see…then, go quickly and tell…” Matthew 28:6-7 (NIV)
Several years ago, I stopped by a garden center to purchase an Easter gift for a friend. The young man at the check-out counter was friendly as he served each customer and then wished each one a beautiful day. When I stepped up to the counter, he offered me the same friendly treatment and before I turned to leave, I looked at me him and said the same words I love speaking, “Have a beautiful Easter!” There was a lingering silence…He smiled and looked directly at me and spoke, “Ma’am, thank you, but I have no idea what this Easter thing is all about.”
I stood frozen for a moment…I assumed that most everyone in my midst at least knew of the historical implication-or the nature of the celebration-but this young man said he had NO idea… “What this Easter thing was about…” Instinctively, I looked behind me at the long line of people holding their potted treasures…Even then, I wanted to stand there and tell him about the Jesus we know…
The Jesus who calls us friend and family…
The Jesus who prayed for every believer-for you and for me…
The Jesus who healed the outcast, who loved the loveless, who loved the lonely, who loved the hopeless, who loved the lost-that once was me…
The Jesus who came to save humankind-all of us…
The Jesus who was innocent-innocent of every charge and lie brought against Him….
The Jesus who literally took the burden of mankind’s sin-of my sin, upon His body as it was nailed to the cross…
Jesus who loved, and stills loves enough to yield Himself to the cruelest torture, and death by one the most barbaric forms of capital punishment ever devised…
Jesus who paid our ransom and redeemed and saved you; who saved me…
Jesus who knew the young cashier by name…and He waits…Jesus is waiting for him…
Reaching into my purse, I whispered a prayer asking God to help me find the beautiful Easter invite card; I handed it to him and spoke the invite…”Young man, come to church…Come and See for yourself… Come, with great expectation and see what this Easter thing is all about.”
An Encounter with Jesus Changes Everything…
You know. If you know Jesus, if you have experienced Him, you know. You know the miraculous and inexplicable extravagant love which flows from His Words on the pages of your Bible. You know from the fulfillment of His promises to you. You know the peace which He offers and the healing power in His Name, in His Touch. If you know Jesus, then you experience the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. Yes, one encounter with Jesus changes everything.
“…Daughter, your faith has made you well…”
What wonderful news for all people. The Gospel of Mark gives the account of a woman suffering from a severe and chronic physical condition; she was desperate and hopeless…and yet, she had heard of Jesus. Perhaps, if she could get close enough to encounter Jesus, to touch His robe, she believed she could be healed. And, she discovered that an encounter with Jesus Changes everything!
“…Go in peace. Your suffering is over.” Mark 5:34 (NLT)
But the woman had to Come and See for herself. She had heard of Him, but she had to choose to Come into His presence and to see who Jesus was…to experience Him herself…
My friends, as we continue on our Journey to Easter, may we remember that our appointed time and meeting with our Father is not only for our own relationship with Him, but it provides time for intercession for others, for the ones we love, for the ones who are hurting and desperate, whether we like them or not…whether they deserve mercy or not…In reality, none of us deserve His Mercy or His Grace. And, we have discovered that because of who He is, our lives are changed…One encounter with Jesus changes everything!
I pray that as we spend time with our Father, we are still, undistracted, and devoted wholly to Him, praying for His Triumphant entry into the lives of those who need the Promise-Keeper, of those who need the Jesus we love and adore. The One who waits…the One who is waiting…waiting for hearts to open…the One who waits for the young cashier…for wives and husbands…for children…for neighbors…for politicians…for strangers…for all people to:
Come and See
Jesus!
The One we know and
The One we love…
Then…Go and Tell and Invite…
And may we all be reminded that…
Everything is, and will be
Just as He Said!
One encounter with Jesus changes everything!
Easter blessings to you and your loved ones.
Love you in Jesus,
