A Meditation on Resurrection Eve

This morning I dug out two old journals and read through them. I'm glad I wrote them, especially during the years when there was sooooo much going on in our lives. I guess I'm getting to the age where so many memories have accumulated, they sort of mush together. I needed to get some dates straight in my memory bank. Some things were enjoyable to relive and some things I had forgotten about.

(I always love visiting this old cemetery, Greenwood, when I'm back in the Ohio Valley)

When I was working at the church (a different one, many years ago) we were assigned days to share a short devotion with the rest of the staff to start the day. I saved this one and think it's appropriate to post for this weekend.

Matthew 28:6 "He is not here, for He has risen - just as He said.
Come see the place where He was lying."

Three sets of four little words - 

    He is not here

    for He has risen

    just as He said

That last set of four just keeps rolling through my mind. It's not really poetic phrase, like the psalms. It's not a specific promise. Yet those four words are loaded with assurance.

Just. As. He. Said.

   What else has God promised in His word?

   What else has He declared?

   What else has He written?

You can think of umpteen scriptures right now and probably a couple that you are especially standing on today.

If He rose from the grave JUST AS HE SAID, then you can rest assured He will bring to pass every other promise just as He said.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:55-57

Among the Forces

On a recent trip to a vintage shop, I picked up an old looking book. I thought it would be perfect for doing some altered art, either on the book itself or tearing bits from the pages for collage. It was only $7.

The first sentence said "Fairies, fays, genii, sprites, etc. were once supposed to be helpful to some favored men."

"Oooo! I'll find some whimsical paragraphs and lovely verbiage here!" Or so I thought.

Then I opened to the copyright page and saw it was printed in 1898!  Now I don't have the heart to tear it up.

I skimmed through the book last night and was surprised by the content. It's actually written by a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Henry White Warren.  His purpose was to open our eyes to the amazing provision God made for us in every single molecule of His creation. (The sentence about fairies, etc. was to compare the imaginary beings of old stories to the great realities of the powers at work in creation).

Man's disobedience caused not only future souls to be separated from God, but was responsible for the perfect earth to deteriorate into something less than what the Lord intended.  Yet, God already had a plan in place for our redemption. What I never realized is, He also intended that the amazing powers of nature and physics serve us, to help us navigate, survive and thrive in this imperfect environment. His passionate care for us is evident everywhere we look. We just have to look!

"From the first mist that went up from the Garden the power of steam has been in every drop of water. Since the first storm the swiftness and power of lightning have been trying to startle man into seeing that in it were speed and force to carry his thought and himself."

Not only does creation benefit us, it teaches us about the almighty Creator of the universe. 

"Every flower and star, rainbow and insect, was meant to be so provocative of thought that any man who never saw a human book might be largely educated. And every one of these thoughts is related to man's best prosperity and joy."

It's always such a delight to discover new insights, new ways of thinking about the things of God. It just brings to life even more the scripture,

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

    his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23