My favorite holiday??
Easter, of course!! Not because of the chocolate or Peeps; but because of the miracle of the resurrection.
The resurrection is the exclamation point of the Gospel. It is the proof of Jesus’ words, “with God, all things are possible.”
And in real life and real-time, it says that no matter how lost, no matter how defeated, no matter awful the circumstances, God’s power is greater than anything in our lives and in this world.
And it says that new life comes from death. That new beginnings come from endings. That redemption comes out of being lost. That sin and death do not have the last word.
And we know this, but sometimes we forget. Spring doesn’t come after summer, right? It comes after…winter, ugh, often after long drawn-out winters.
Sometimes we forget that new life, that resurrection and redemption come at a cost and do not emerge easily – it’s the opposite actually – they only emerge and break through impossible circumstances.
As I am writing this, blossoms, buds, sprouts, and shoots, botanical ambassadors of new life, are fighting through wind, snow, earth, rocks, and other things to emerge from the ravages of winter, from death. And somehow the breathtaking symphony of color and fragrance always wins. Spring happens no matter how bad the winter was.
You and I will never know what it takes for them to push through all of that to make it through to the other side.
But we do know this. That through Jesus suffering and dying on the cross and being dead and buried, new life, resurrection emerged into this world and into our lives through faith. It wasn’t a snap of the fingers, it wasn’t a magic trick, it wasn’t a formula, and it was anything but easy. But it happened…
We’re told that we are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and it’s true. But just like resurrection, that new creation happening in us through the power of the Holy Spirit does not happen overnight. It happens surely, purposefully. It happens even when it’s not very visible.
We have to remember…
We have to remember that when we are trying to restore marriages, when we are trying to overcome addictions, when we are trying to revitalize churches, when we are seeking to follow God more passionately, when we are trying to heal, seeking God’s forgiveness, when we are trying to start over in anything, we have to remember it is challenging, it can be overwhelming, the odds may be against us, it may seem impossible – BUT it’s possible…
Thanks to that Sunday morning long ago, when life came from death, light came from darkness, and He was alive!!!