Luke 24:6
"He is not here; he has risen!"
Today is our favorite day of the year. Our family celebrates birthdays and anniversaries. We enjoy spending time with extended family at holidays. We look forward to Christmas like most people do. But Easter is the most special holiday. Our lives are built on the promises of God, the greatest of which is eternal life through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And that is commemorated on this Resurrection Day.
Easter is the only day all year that I don't have trouble getting up in the morning. Tammy is a morning person, but I become one only one day a year. We just can't get enough of the worship. If there are multiple services, and there's room for a few more folks, we stay.
Today was a special Easter for us. Last year at Easter, Tammy was in the hospital on Easter. Our whole family visited her in shifts, but we each had to leave her behind when we went to her parents' house for dinner. We had hope for the future (Hebrews 11:1), but in a very real sense, hope was focused on Tammy's recovery.
Fast forward one year. This morning, for the first time in 14 months, Tammy, David Lee, Julie and I worshiped together in church. (Tammy is still not allowed to go to church, but we were visiting Julie in Louisville where nobody knew us, so Tammy was safe from being "mugged.")
It was very emotional. Not only were we reminded of what Christ did for us, but we were together. We are so blessed that Jesus is the center of all of our lives. The power of His grace overcame us as we sang and prayed together.
The pastor spoke about plugging into the power of Christ. It's not just waiting for us when we die and get to Heaven; it's available to us now. He used the deep theological analogy of Jed Clampett and the Beverly Hillbillies: "Well, the first thing you know, Ol' Jed's a millionaire." Jed didn't suddenly become a millionaire. He just suddenly figured out that he those resources to tap into.
As we go through life, we have an unlimited resource of power there for the asking. So many times we try to rely on our power. It is our prayer that we can remember the source of all power. God bless you this special day. Use the power He provides.
2 comments:
Stumbled across your blog...I am running my first half marathon on Saturday at the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, TN with Team in Training (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society). I have raised over $3600 to go to help patients like you SURVIVE!!! God Bless You! Amy LaRavia
Thanks Amy. We appreciate people like you who are willing to donate and raise funds for research. We hope you had a good time in Nashville.
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