Resurrection

One Simple Miracle and Sunday Praise

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

As we get closer to Easter we need to remember what our faith is really about. Christianity is not about big church buildings, Christian concerts with special effects or elaborate social programs. Instead all that we are and everything we do is based on one single morning at a tomb. The body of Jesus was supposed to be inside it. The priests were counting on it because they had sent a guard. Pilate was sure of it because it was shut with a Roman seal. Even the closest friends of Jesus believed He would be there because they went with spices to prepare the body. And the grave was shut. The tomb was silent. The death from crucifixion was final….Until it wasn’t!

“You seek Jesus who was crucified” the angel said. “He is not here for He has risen as He said!” Matthew 28:5-6a And in that moment all History turned on the hinge of one simple miracle, an empty tomb and a risen Lord!

I loved this new release from The Weaver family in Pennsylvania. It is both simple and powerful- like that very first Easter morning!

The Language of our Hearts

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”. Mark 5:41 ESV

One of the first things I noticed when we visited friends in Switzerland, was how many languages everyone there could speak. In the years since our Swiss vacation, I myself have learned Portuguese and on occasion have acted as a translator. That experience has taught me that even for fully bi-lingual people, it makes a difference which language is best to use depending on the situation. For those used to speaking a single language the idea of effortlessly switching from one to another seems strange, but there is a simple reason behind the practice. We all have a native tongue and that one is the language of our heart.

In the story from which today’s scripture comes, a family had just lost a young child. The father had personally gone and begged for Jesus to come and heal her. But even though Jesus came almost immediately, by the time they arrived at the home it was too late. The man’s daughter lay cold and dead in her bedroom. The house was already filled with weeping neighbors, but Jesus had good news for that family as well as for us. It is that it is never too late for Him. There is no situation beyond His control. If we only will still our fears and quiet our hearts, we will hear Jesus calling for us to rise and He is speaking in the language that our heart understands.  “Don’t worry about who you are, what you face, or what others are saying. I have come just for you!”

Three Short Days

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb John 20:1 ESV

With snow seemingly falling everywhere except Florida this year, I am reminded of the year before we moved here and Scranton was buried under twenty four inches of snow. Cars were completely covered, our street was closed for two days and everyone’s schedule came to a screeching halt! But then just three weeks later, with the temperatures reaching almost 80 degrees, the snow vanished. What a difference those three short weeks made!

Yup that’s my car (I think!)

One Sunday morning 2000 years ago just think what a difference three short days made. On Friday the disciples fled in fear. When Joseph and Nicodemus put Jesus into the tomb it seemed that all their hopes lay cold and dead in the grave. But on that dark morning of the third day, when Mary came she discovered in astonishment that the stone had been rolled back and the grave stood empty!  Then Jesus Himself drew near. Mary mistook Him for a simple gardener, until He called her name and then she was filled with joy. Not much has changed in 2000 years. We may think of Jesus as a great teacher, a loving healer or a simple carpenter, but we only know Him when He comes and calls our name! What a difference those three short days have made!