Wow, here we are inching ever closer to Easter! Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, are you ready? Today’s scriptures are all very familiar to you. We are experiencing a not so gentle ‘Eternity’ gut-check. Where do you want to spend Eternity? My ‘common thread’ this week is Resurrection. I understand that ‘that’ is the premier subject of Easter, but our Liturgical cycles like to prepare us for our “High Times”.
We begin with Ezekial, one of our three major prophets. In Ezekial 37:12-14, We’re finishing up with ‘The valley of the Dry Bones’ prophecy. God exclaims that all of humanity will know that He alone is God, when He opens all of our graves and refills us with the Holy Spirit. “Thus says the Lord GOD: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them and bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; when I open your graves and have you rise from them. O my people, I will put my spirit in you that you may live!”
***For me, this is a very strong & deliberate precursor to all of Resurrection. Just as with Jesus, THIS is how all of us know that God is God, and there is no other!! Also, our relationship with the life-giving Holy Spirit, fills us with the confidence of New Hope. This is our Eternity, full of hope, love and God.
“Brothers and sisters: Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.!” **Wow, talk about getting your attention. Paul’s letter to the Romans 8:8-11, reflects on living a Godly life which is life in the Spirit. OR, living solely for yourself, living to satisfy your physical needs, wants, desires. Howz your spirituality today??
**Still Romans: “But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness! If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit dwelling in you.” **HOPE, my brothers & sisters, again we learn the benefits of hope in God. That hope is not just for the dead and dying! HOPE is for us today! Remember, of all of the wonderful& treasured aspects of faith that we can experience, hope is in the top three (Faith, Hope, Love)!
Alleluia verse: John 11:25&26, “I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will never die.”
In John’s Gospel, 11:1-45, We hear the familiar story of Lazarus being raised from the dead. This is not the first time we learn of God’s plan for our Salvation (remember Ezekial’s Bones), but it is the first one with eyewitnesses. I’m not even talking about Jesus’ inner-circle, the women who cared for them, or even Martha & Mary (Lazarus’ sisters). Martha & Mary had a house full of mourners comforting them, probably mostly women. There might have been some men too, since Lazarus was well known and liked. *But still, many, many eyewitnesses to this huge miracle!!
**As with the last two weeks, Jesus self-describes himself, for the 3rd & a different way. “Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” ***This one exchange and the final question, should cause us to pause… and contemplate. Jesus, You ARE the Resurrection and the Life, please help us to believe in you every day more than the last until we meet in Heaven. Do ‘you’ believe this?” Thank you for your time today. Remember – JOY-JOY-JOY, Mark Gates
