Greetings Dear Family and Friends.
Do you ever wonder if God is watching? Listening? Caring?
Today, Saturday April 11, 2020 is the day that we remember the time when our Lord Jesus Christ was buried, and sealed in the tomb. It was a dark day. There was real darkness, the sun was covered, evil men had killed the innocent Jesus, the disciples were scattered and filled with despair. Had they given their whole lives to this? They wondered. A dead end. The savior, rabbi, friend and brother was now dead. He lay inside a sealed tomb with a giant boulder slammed shut over the opening. Enemy Roman guards stood on either side to be sure no one robbed this grave. He was slaughtered by the Romans, sent to death by his own brothers, given over to hostiles by the priests who claimed to love God. It was a dark day.
Are you feeling like that? Despair creeping in? Feeling surrounded by dark news of illness raging throughout the world? Isolation, financial distress, relational turmoil, the world around crumbling into a deep chasm of darkness and despair? Are you wondering if God is watching? Listening? Does God care?
Oh, dear friend… I assure you that God is and God Does!
Last night my husband , my mother and I (our shelter-in-place trio) watched the movie, Beautifully Broken. This true story, filled with all the elements of evil, darkness and despair had the threads of God’s goodness, redemption and light woven into the fabric of 3 families’ lives. Three fathers were hoping to protect their families from the evil raging in Rwanda and also in Nashville, Tennessee. I will not give the story away- and I must admit that the acting was not profoundly excellent- yet this powerful story of God’s redemption- the Ever-present Divine watching even in the midst of evil, can give us hope at this time when Hope seems hard to come by.
I was particularly struck by William, the man, husband, father and friend, who has every reason to despair, yet through it all, he kept remembering and thinking and reminding others that even though everything may look dark now, we can choose to think clearly. We can choose to remind ourselves and others of the threads of God’s light, God’s hope and God’s faithfulness even in the darkest of moments. We can choose to forgive those who have inflicted evil upon us. We can choose to look forward with Hope.
Friends, this is a dark day. Perhaps you have had evil, trauma and death creep into your life and now this current viral epidemic is closing in on you on top of it all. Do not despair. There is hope!
This Sunday morning, April 12, 2020, we celebrate the true event of the Resurrection of Christ. This really happened. The stone was blown off the opening to the grave. Jesus burst to life in His resurrected body! He proved that He is God’s Son! He conquered death, and evil, and sin, and illness. He brought into the world redemption and LIFE! So even in this time of trial, even in the midst of despair, His love brings us hope and life.
God is watching. God is redeeming. God gives us life in the midst of the suffering.
Here is the story according to Matthew:
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 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. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers… Matthew 28:1-10b
Also, the apostle Paul records this:
Jesus said, to the woman [at the well, and now to us too] “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26
God is watching and God Cares for you!
Blessings to you and your loved ones as we celebrate this Good News! He is Risen…He is Risen Indeed.