It says that on early Sunday morning as the new day was dawning news broke out of the resurrection. The impossible was once again made possible. These are our words from one ragged soul to another. Today we are made new.
Life is one big Easter egg hunt. Just as a kid searches for an egg hidden out in the yard, so we also have the opportunity to seek out a greater understanding of what Jesus did on the cross.
As parents hide the eggs, they are very particular with the location as well as who will be searching for it. Some eggs are in the open, in a tree, or in a bush. There might even be a few together in a tall patch of grass. They are available for those willing to go out and look. You don’t just find an egg and call it good. After you find one, hope begins to rise within you, guiding you from one discovery to the next.
Jesus is never ending. The cross cannot be contained into one moment. The power of the cross is something Jesus reveals to us over and over, deeper and deeper. He will never be limited to an experience. It’s easy to “grow up” and no longer participate in seeking the depths of Jesus. So what are you waiting for? Pick up your basket and allow God to lead you to the glorious treasures of Jesus Christ.
Luke
Under normal circumstances our Easter is full of big dinner tables, goodie baskets, and nice dresses. Being one of the biggest fans of big dinner parties I was a little disappointed we couldn’t gather as usual. A still small whisper told me to step back and look deeper at this picture brought before us. That as the world is brought to our knees the false gods of showy Christianity are being burned before our eyes. Our focus of having the best dressed family is turned, our expectation of the normal rhythms of church services shattered, and we are left hungry for more than a glazed ham.
It is instead about intimacy and reverence. Deep connection that goes into the muscles of our being and cries out to our maker. We feel the need and desire for His presence to ease our pain as if it wasn’t nailed to wood three days before. Every day a new opportunity to see His glory. Heaven invades earth with big outstretched arms. Let yourself fall into the Embrace.
Lis
I died with Him on the cross that day. Because of Him, I get to say that I’m no longer a sinner. I don’t have a sinful nature. I have a heavenly nature and a pure identity. My father told me so. It wasn’t always this way though. I used to be plagued by lies and sin and lust and fear. These dark enemies clung to me like dust on the dead. My life was a void aching for truth. Jesus didn’t just change me, He died for me. He died as me. I died with Him on the cross that day. The old Jonah that would never see himself as a beautiful, loved child of God is dead. And then I rose out of the grave with my Jesus. Alive and well. A brand new creation. Now I get to live the way my father designed me to live: in relationship with Him. This was my baptism. I would never have breathed fresh air without Jesus. All hail the King of Heaven and Earth! He is RISEN! And so am I!
Jonah
I have realized through this season of isolation that my participation in the lenten season had always been dependent on the rhythms of corporate church. Meeting weekly to work through the passion narrative. Observing the sanctuary’s gradual change from cheery Palm Sunday to sobering Good Friday. This year, with corporate meetings suspended, I failed to participate in lent. I found myself sitting in a dusty basement bedroom on Good Friday, alone, disappointed that I had not taken more time to reflect and honor my Savior’s life and death.I spent that night alone, feeling unworthy of the cross. I am happy to boast that Jesus refused to let me feel forsaken, He felt that full on the cross that I may never have to. I felt the pleasure and safety of the cross in that moment, more personal and explicit than ever.As you celebrate today, do not let these circumstances dilute the Truth and good news of Christ crucified. The grace and power of the cross has never been more potent, more necessary, more real than it is right now. Receive it, friends.
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. -Hebrews 4:15-16
Matty
The Ragged Souls 