I saw a miracle today…

Written by Fiona Monaghan I was blessed to be invited to view the ultrasound of my grandchild and I couldn’t help but remember these verses from Psalms. ‘You made my whole being, You formed me in my mothers womb…You saw my bones being formed… my life was written before I was one day old…” Psalm 139:13-16

God knows what that small life represents even now. All the potential is there and He knows it all. From the outside world this little one has a cheering fan club looking on, praying and encouraging their growth until that day when they truly become part of our world.

How like our experience here on earth. We are growing and changing through difficulty and pressure to become people of honor and strength exhibiting the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self control. We also have a cheering team looking on and encouraging us.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us… Hebrews 12:1-2

There are so many things in the physical world that have a spiritual counterpart and this one spoke to me loud and clear. This baby can do nothing more to earn the love of its parents and family. Just by being - they are loved; and there is nothing we can do to make God love us more than He does already. His nature and character is love and love is to want the best for someone - no matter what. It is not an emotion - but an action, which was exhibited with Jesus providing the way for us to be reinstated back into God’s family.

“Love is not an affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.” C.S. Lewis

I don’t know what the future holds for this little one, but My Father does, so I think I will just trust Him with it.

Thank you Father for the blessing of being a part of my grandchildren’s cheering section. To encourage, love and pray for them. Keep me mindful of the responsibility I bear them and their parents as I support them and bring them to You in prayer.

Amen

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The Risen Son

By Pastor Rey Diaz Crowds in cities like Thessalonica, Philippi, or Corinth: Who is this odd little man, sounding as if he’s a royal herald making a proclamation about a new emperor? And who is this new emperor anyway?

Paul: He is a Jew! And he was crucified! He is called Jesus!

Crowd: At this point mouths drop open with incredulity. People stare. This guy is drunk. Or crazy. Crucifixion is about the most shameful thing that can happen to you. Besides if he was crucified it means he’s dead. How can a crucified man be the Lord, the Son of God?

Paul: No! He’s alive! God raised him from the dead!

Crowd: Now the crowd knows Paul is mad. Everybody knows perfectly well that dead people don’t come back to life. It’s the ultimate statistic. 100% of people will die. No one escapes.

Paul: I have good news to share. The Messiah died for our sins in accordance to the Bible and he was raised on the third day!

This was and continues to be shocking, scandalous and foolishness to the crowd. But Paul continues sharing this Easter message. There is after all one true God, the God of Israel. He made the whole world, and he planned an amazing rescue operation for that world.

The news is that this rescue operation has happened! Jesus, who died and was raised, is Israel’s Messiah and when he returns he will be Lord of he whole world.

You can see why the gospel was considered scandalous by most. But in essence Paul was just sharing good news; it is the news that something has happened and as a result the world is a different place. It wasn’t a new religion, moral system, or philosophy.

One can debate the merits of a religion, moral system, or philosophy, but a news event is discussed in a different way. Either the event happened or it didn’t; if it did happen, either it means what people say it means, or it doesn’t.

Paul was telling the people that Jesus death and resurrection had changed the world, that the world was now a different place, and that he was summoning them to be part of that new, different reality. This event would cause them to adjust their entire lives in order to come into line with the way things now were.

When Roman heralds came into a city like Thessalonica announcing that a new emperor had been enthroned, the didn’t mean, “Here is a new sort of imperial experience, and you might like to see if it suits you.” They meant, “Tiberius (or any other emperor) is the Lord of the World. You are lucky recipients of this good news; he demands your loyalty, your allegiance, and of course you taxes.” That’s how Roman good news worked.

Paul uses the word ‘herald” to talk about his own mission sharing the good news. He wasn’t offering people a new type of torch so they could see better in the dark. He was saying that the sun had risen, and that if you would only open the curtains you’d see that you don’t need torches anymore.

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” – C S Lewis.

That is what is written on his memorial tablet in Westminster Abbey. That is what Easter does for us. When we let the message of Easter get inside of us and then we look out at the world, then suddenly you see everything else in a new way. “A way that makes sense of everything- startling, shocking sense, a sudden and scary clarity. This is what Paul means by the “power” of this “good news.” It does things to people. It transforms.”

Easter is at the center of the gospel. The Messiah died, was buried, was raised, and was seen. Take that away and Christianity collapses. Put it in its proper place and the whole world is different. This good news about what has happened points to the good news about what is yet to happen. Death’s defeat. Eternal life. Resurrection. Heaven. That’s what Easter is about. Come celebrate with us this weekend!

PS – I have borrowed heavily from a book by N.T. Wright “Simply Good News: Why the Gospel is News and What makes it Good” to write this little blog.   And by ‘borrowed heavily’ I mean straight plagerism in some parts. I decided to read this book during holy week and have been so inspired. I highly, highly recommend it to everyone. Get it here: Simply Good News.

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