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Not Traditional, But God is Still Resurrecting


This isn’t a traditional Resurrection Sunday but it isn’t unprecedented.

On the first Resurrection Sunday there were similar emotions palpating the air. Sorrow, fear, heartache, pain. People in their houses afraid to come outside. There we no big hats and elaborate outfits. There were no lilies and choir rehearsed selections. While they weren’t fighting a deadly disease the disciples and the followers of Jesus had experienced trauma. They had just seen him killed two days ago. Crucified, hung on a Cross and breathed his last breath.

All of their hopes, dreams died in that instant. It was replaced with disappointment, fear, hopelessness and loss. They were looking for a conqueror, a deliverer, a warrior to remove all their enemies, obstacles and hardships. They believed that Jesus was that and they put all their eggs in his basket. Now He was dead. Killed by the state. And they feared they would be next.

This disease is killing those we love and we are afraid. Afraid to go outside. Afraid for our loved ones. Afraid we will be next. Different circumstance, same fear. We are questioning God about how He could let this happen. He’s supposed to be our conqueror, deliverer, our warrior who is supposed to vanquish this disease but instead it seems to be winning.

Just like Satan seemed to have won in the moment that Jesus died.

So Peter, James, John and all of them have been in the house on self-imposed quarantine for three days. I imagine it was eerily quiet, like it is now. People mourning in their homes not knowing what will happen next, like now. And then, those women went to the tomb to dress Jesus’ body and found the stone rolled away and Jesus' body gone. Mark 16:1-8

Today we are in our houses waiting… Feeling alone and isolated, like the disciples.
But what they forgot is what we have forgotten too. God is  the resurrection and the life. Just like it seemed that Satan had bested Jesus, this disease seems to have gotten the best of us. They thought they got him. They thought they won. They thought it was over but…

He’s ALIVE!

And as long as He is alive we can face WHATEVER happens in this world. No matter what we are going through, no matter a pandemic, no matter war, racism, corruption, no matter a government that sought to take him out, Jesus is alive. To stone was rolled away, the tomb no longer held Jesus's body

We are not alone. It may feel that way right now but Jesus has felt our every emotion, our every hurt, our every pain. He has lost those he loved. He buried friends. I mean, God watched his Son die and be buried just like many of us are burying those we love.

God still is sovereign and He still has resurrection power. This disease has not won. We will lose people along the way. That was true even in Jesus day. But for those who remain when Mary went to the tomb to dress the body of Jesus she was expecting a body and found resurrection instead.

Today in church Pastor Steven Furtick said, “Unmet expectation is the start of resurrection”. We have unmet expectations today. We had thoughts and ideas of what 2020 was supposed to look like and it did not include a pandemic. Just like when the disciples envisioned a Savior it didn’t include Him dying. But in our moment of unmet expectation Jesus shows up with the resurrection. 

We don’t know what life will look like tomorrow but I know Jesus lives and because He lives I can face tomorrow and know that he has a future for me in-spite of how it looks. I'm expecting resurrection because God is still resurrecting today.



Unlikely Missionary
DHW
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