Resurrection Week
Posted By: Nick Hoag
One of my families' favorite traditions is to extend holidays, birthdays, and other special occasions into week-long celebrations. As a kid this was amazing - my birthday meant not just one day of fun, it meant a week long time to be with family and pretty much do whatever you wanted - like I said, amazing. As we get closer to Resurrection Sunday I propose that we do the very same thing with the celebration of our King. Every single day this week we should all join together as a community in focusing our thoughts and lives on the incredible fact that Our Savior, who died for us, is not dead but alive and calling us all into lives of restorative resurrection mission, community, and justice in Burlington.
Here's a little piece from Palm Sunday that I expanded on a bit. I hope it sends you into this week with a hope that enables you to face anything this life has to offer.
"When we look at life and ultimately death – the fact that all of this is going to come to an end for every single person on this earth – our outlook on life starts to change. The reality of death is the primary cause for just about every 45 year-old you see driving a red Miata (and really? A Miata? Wow). Holy self-help books, batman.
Here's a quote from Rick Mckinley of Imago Dei that really resonated with me,
We all, at some point, come to face the reality that life has NO MEANING if resurrection isn't true.
And Jesus came and was raised from the dead to once and for all show us the true purpose of life. Jesus is the point of our lives (whether you believe or not) – and his kingly position does not mean that He's to be a supplement or an add-on (He's not the protein shake you drink between meals – He's the meal). His resurrection changes everything – it means that my outlook on life no longer has to keep ignoring the ending (because that's what we do, we ignore it). We can embrace the fact that in the end, death will not win because Jesus has conquered it for us.
Our God is the God of the living, and His love is stronger than the power of death. This invitation to believe is an invitation to finally live for the purpose you were meant for – The king invites with expectancy, ready to lead you and desirous that you believe and follow. When we put the whole weight of our trust in the resurrection (and we stop holding some of it back for if we get the raise, or if we get the A on the paper, of if we get the girl) we are free from being constantly swayed by our circumstances. We can rest in His finished and completed work, and finally begin to live."
I leave you with, quite possibly, the best "resurrection" scene from any movie.. ever.
And BE WARNED, it starts a bit violent and completely ruins the movie if you've never seen it!
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Reply #1 on : Fri April 02, 2010, 22:10:37
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