“….saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.”
Luke 24:34 ~ ASV 1901
I felt I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the weekend of Passion and Resurrection celebrated by believers. Our verse today has become a traditional Easter greeting in the Western church and the exclamation “He is risen!” Is met with the traditional response “He is risen indeed!”
As we gather to celebrate with family and friends, may we be mindful that there can be no resurrected life unless there is a death. We are told, as the body of Christ, communion is the dynamic we use to remember all that Jesus has given to us through his death, burial and resurrection.
The body prepared. Jesus’ delight to do the Fathers will. The agony of submission. The yielded humility that led him as a lamb before the slaughter. His death and descent into Hell to satisfy the debt we could not pay. The Spirit of Holiness that raised Him from the dark realms of the demonic Kingdom, are all the works that He suffered for us that we might be one with Him in His resurrected life.
The Apostle Paul sets before us his one pursuit from Philippians chapter three beginning in verse seven with the admonition for all of us who are mature to think this way:
“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. (8) Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ (9) and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith (10) that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, (11) that if by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (12) Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. (13) Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, (14) I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (15) Let those of us who are mature think this way.”
My prayer for this Resurrection weekend is for each of us to hold a renewed, refreshed, revived, awareness of all that Jesus has provided. May we fully embrace the examples He has set before us. May we access His grace which enables us to die daily, thereby truly experiencing His resurrection power in every area of our Spirit, Soul and body. May we be the voices in this hour that rise and proclaim, with all boldness, the word that sets the captives free. The Lord Has risen indeed!
Grace and peace to you as you live a Resurrected life.