It’s Resurrection Day! The grave is empty, death has been defeated! Jesus is alive. If Jesus can defeat death, we can beat COVID-19! I have a dozen churches listed below to steer you to places of worship. At the bottom of the list is the home church of the young lady who’s song earned my favorite Easter song forever. No one praises God better than Mrs. Kari Jobe.
Compassion Christian Church, Savannah, GA; 9a, 11a, 3p, 5p, 7p, 9p, 11p
Elevation Worship, Ballantyne, NC; 9:30a, 11:30a, 2p, 5p, 8p, 10p
Passion City Church, Atlanta, GA; 10a, 1p, 5p, 8p
Transformation Church, Tulsa, OK; 12p
Bayside Community Church, Bradenton, FL; 9:15a, 11:15a
FreshLife Church, MT; (all times are MST): 7a, 9a, 11a, 5p
SeaCoast Church, Charleston, SC; 8:30a, 10a, 11:30a, 1p
CoastLife Church, Venice, FL; 9a, 11a, 7p
Hillsong Church, NYC; 9a, 11a, 1p, 3p, 5p, 7p
Radiant Church, Kalamazoo, MI; 7a, 9a, 11a, 1p, 3p, 5p, 7p
Oak Hills Church, San Antonio, TX; 8a, 9:30a, 11:30a
The Belonging Co., Nashville, TN; 10a, 12p, 2p, 5p, 7p, 9p
April 12-Easter Sunday
3So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. (John 20:3-10)
It’s Resurrection Day! Looking at these passages above, you have to ask yourself, which disciple are you? Are you John, the disciple running as fast as he can to get to the tomb first? (Now you know why we’ve been spending so much time running during the week: I want you to be the first one to the tomb) Not to take anything away from Peter, maybe John was just naturally faster. They were, at least, the only two disciples to run to the tomb. Mary was the first, she came upon Peter and John and told them the tomb was empty, which brought us to these verses. John and Peter running as fast as they can. While John gets to the tomb before Peter, he freezes outside. Peter steps in showing no fear, just the desire to see for himself the empty tomb. I wonder why John hesitated, and what that momentary hesitation felt like. For John to hesitate, that meant there was a moment of doubt. Was John doubting Mary’s account of the tomb being empty? Was John afraid of what he might see in the tomb? John’s heart had to be pounding. Everything he ever believed sat across the threshold of the tomb. He just had to step inside. When John finally joined Peter in the tomb they found the linens and cloth that had wrapped Jesus’ body, and John says at this point he believed. As Peter and John stood in that empty tomb, I wonder if the weight of the world began to fall on their shoulders. Jesus’ body was gone, they did not know where it was, or if Jesus had indeed risen from the dead. John said he believed from that moment on. Did he realize the future of the entire world and the history of mankind rested on what happened next? We all talk about the disciples entering the tomb. No one ever discusses what happens when they exit the tomb.
Exiting the tomb means the mission is now yours. You have been with the Son of God for the last three years. You have heard His words, His teachings, His truth, and if there was any doubt if Jesus was who He said He is, that doubt is now gone when you exit the tomb. So whether you got to the tomb first, or you were the first to step inside, we all exit the tomb together. And now, only now, on Resurrection Sunday has our job just begun. We have to tell the world who Jesus is!
Today’s the day you come out of the tomb. Whether you have been walking with Jesus for just days, weeks, or years, you believe, you know the importance of Jesus and the mission we have as disciples. Resurrection Sunday is a day of celebration that Jesus rose from the grave, but it is also a day of planning and preparation as you take into account the work that needs to be done. So celebrate the day that Jesus defeated death, but get ready, Monday’s coming, and our work has just begun.
Reading plan: John 9
Deeper reading plan: 2 Kings 10, 11, 12, 13
Prayer and meditation: Bow low today for the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Resurrection Day is when Jesus showed the world He was the Son of God. Thank Him today for all He did to pay your debt.
Fitness challenge: no fitness challenge today. Spend the day in prayer and in the Word.
Resurrection Day! Celebrate the day when Jesus defeated death
Common Sense Reborn 