The Resurrection Changes Everything

It’s the day after Easter and the retail stores are offering 50% or more off their leftover plastic eggs, chocolate and stuffed bunnies. Many people may be already boxing up their Easter season décor. Isn’t this what we do routinely with most holiday celebrations? When the date has passed, we move on.

But, I’d like to take some more time to linger at the empty tomb and walk with Jesus’ followers as they absorb the fact that the tomb they once knew held their Beloved Jesus now sits empty. Jesus didn’t slow down after His resurrection. In fact, His involvement in the lives of His followers went into overdrive when He arose from the tomb. What I’ve too frequently done is rejoice at the empty tomb, as we all should, but then “life happens” and I allow the resurrection story to fade as I handle the ups and downs I happen to face on a daily basis. But the resurrection story should change EVERYTHING about everything in every single day of our lives.

Remember the two disciples who were returning home to Emmaus from Jerusalem after the crucifixion and the "supposed" resurrection of the Lord (Luke 24:13-35)? The women reported that angels at the empty tomb announced: "He is alive." But they thought those women were delusional. The reports of the empty tomb confused them, but that Sunday afternoon, Jesus met up with them. He encouraged them and explained the message of the resurrection, and reminded them of His promises to them, but they didn't recognize Him until He went home with them and broke bread, blessed it and gave it to them. Their eyes opened and they recognized Him. Then He disappeared. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:32) Their hearts burned within them when He shared scriptures with them.

That is my prayer, too -- that my heart would burn within me at the reality of His unfailing Word and that I would be stirred by His presence in my life daily. Perhaps, if we continue in this magnificent truth of our Risen Lord on a daily basis, our hearts will continue to burn with faith, His love will flow from us to others who need an encounter with Him, and we just may be His hands extended to them. We are those disciples on the road to Emmaus, living our lives in the real world, walking along with Jesus who is always there with us on the road, whether we recognize Him or not. He listens to us and understands us because He became one of us. He gets us.

Are you confused, hurting, perplexed or need advice and wise counsel today? Maybe it's time to go for a life-changing "Walk with Jesus". I promise you – He’ll be walking with you! He lives! Now, let’s act like it! Let’s be resurrection people who walk, talk and live the Easter Story daily! I’ll see you later – it’s time for my daily walk!

The Meal I Served……Was Satisfying & Nourishing

Still in the season of Easter for a couple more weeks until we recognize the time when Jesus ascended to heaven, I am still pondering His great love for us. After I had served Holy Communion yesterday morning at church, I heard in my heart “You just served Jesus.” Yes, I did, but then I thought about two connotations of those words. We say “I served Jesus by feeding the hungry at the local food pantry”, or “I served Jesus when I gave to the poor”, or in yesterday’s setting, “I served Jesus as I served Holy Communion.” That’s what we do when we take on the servant nature of Jesus in loving, giving, serving others. Jesus gave the greatest example of servitude when He fed the hungry, healed the sick, cared for those in need, washed His disciples’ feet, AND gave them to eat and drink His body and blood in the bread and the wine, and then gave them the command to continue doing the same.

Matthew 26:26-18 “Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Luke 22:19 “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

I am always overwhelmed in those moments with how much I want to help feed hope and pour love into the souls of those dear people. It's a diverse crowd – culturally, ethnically, young and old -- who make their way up the aisle to the “distribution center” to receive a meal of Jesus. Each one comes with a look of gratitude to receive nourishment again of He Who said “As often as you do this, you are remembering me.” (1 Corinthians 11:25). I see faces of joy and wonder and sometimes faces with deep furrows of sadness, and I offer up a silent prayer for them to be healed of whatever it is that is troubling them, and at the same time, I am offering to them God -- the ONE Who yielded Himself to become one of us and to be sacrificed as a lamb on the altar, but this one and last time became the sacrifice that takes care of all our failures and shortcomings from now through eternity.

I am always overwhelmed in those moments with how much I want to help feed hope and pour love into the souls of those dear people. It's a diverse crowd – culturally, ethnically, young and old -- make their way up the aisle to the “distribution center” to receive a meal of Jesus. Each one comes with a look of gratitude to receive nourishment again of He Who said “As often as you do this, you are remembering me.” I see faces of joy and faces of wonder and sometimes faces with deep furrows of sadness, and I offer up a silent prayer for them to be healed of whatever it is that is troubling them, and at the same time, I am offering to them God -- the ONE Who yielded Himself to become one of us and to be sacrificed as a lamb on the altar, but this one and last time became the sacrifice that takes care of all our failures and shortcomings from now through eternity.

This meal is satisfying, nourishing and never serves up indigestion or heart burn. Well, on the other hand, maybe there is a little heart burn, as when the two disciples said, “"Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" Luke 24:32. Please, Lord, may my heart burn with passion for You as Your heart burned with passion for me enough to give me YOU!

When in Rome, Do What the Romans Do

You've heard that saying, but it's

so much better "When in Rome, do what Christ would do!" "Do What the Romans Do" comes from when visiting a foreign land, you should follow the customs of those who live in it. It can also mean that when you are in an unfamiliar situation, you should follow the lead of those who know the ropes. And, knowing the ropes sure comes in handy when you have an expert guide who knows the ropes around here.

It was great to meet up with my dear friends, Charles and Sheila Michie at the airport. All loaded up on our bus, our guide pointed out every detail imaginable about this ancient city, from the architecture, to the paintings, to the art, to the music, to the holy places that we came here for. Then we headed for an authentic Italian meal. I understand that pasta and bread are always the appetizer, then the main course is a meat and another starch/carbohydrate. BTW -- it was a similar meal for dinner last night! Makes one wonder "How do those Romans stay so thin?" LOL! I'm sure it's the walking, and we'll be doing a lot of that today as we walk to St. Peter's Square -- Vatican City, for the Papal Audience with Pope Francis. We'll be getting up at 5:30 with breakfast at 6:30 and giving us plenty of time for getting a great seat. I'm stoked about that! I'll be taking lots of notes, for sure.

Then our guide took us to the catacombs -- the underground burial place for many martyrs who died for their faith. It sure caused us to think twice before we think we have something to complain about. Then we were thrilled to head to St. Paul's Basilica where we had it entirely to ourselves. The Basilica was founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine I over the burial place of St. Paul, where it was said that, after the Apostle's execution, his followers erected a memorial for him.

I was so humbled to bow before his burial place and offer thanksgiving to him for living his faith so audaciously and relentlessly once he came to Christ, even though he would pay the ultimate price of being martyred for his faith. As I considered him, I thought about the seeds that were planted from his life and his writings that would be life-changing for so many lives. And, look at those seeds today, piligrims from all over the world that come to honor him for his contribution to their lives. I love the times we have to pause together to offer thanksgiving and praise to God for those like Paul and other martyrs who died for their faith, but live as that great cloud of witnesses cheering us on in our faith.

Just look at the faith of Paul in his writings here in Romans 8:31-39. He sure doesn't sound like a complainer in any way! "What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Around the dinner table tonight, we talked about our Lord and Paul and their sacred writings that carry on in our hearts and lives today -- so much so, that we just can't get enough of that good news, that we had to come on this pilgrimage to take our faith to another level. Like the two walking with Jesus on the Road to Emmaus and they discussed the scriptures, then Jesus broke bread with them and then disappeared....we too said, "Did not our hearts burn within us as we walked and talked with Him today?" Luke 24:32

Stay tuned for tomorrow and the words of Pope Francis!