LIVING, FAITH IN ACTION – LIVING, LOVING, SERVING WITH CHRIST!

Sunday was a wonderful day – from the beautiful flowers on the Cross, to the circle of Easter Lilies, to our children receiving their Bibles, to the uplifting music, to the Spirit moving powerfully in our midst. Christ is Risen, he is risen indeed – and he is very much alive at Meadowlake!

And Jesus is very much alive in the lives of our Elders, as they work with you to finalize the next phase of Christ’s Call to Meadowlake, to be unveiled at our Annual Meeting on May 22….

Who is Jesus? Our Resurrected Lord

On Sunday, we continued exploring who Jesus is – seeing him as our Resurrected Lord, who is alive, and comes to all of us when we cry out to him, gives us what we need through God’s Word, and lives in us and sets our hearts on fire when we invite him to come and stay with us. (Luke 24:13-35)

In Summary:

1. Last week, we left Jesus, our Sacrificing Savior, in death, in a tomb, in the darkness of Hell, suffering for our sins. But Jesus did not stay in darkness. If he had, he would just have been an interesting, unconventional teacher, another martyr for a lost cause. On Sunday, the darkness lifts, we see Jesus – He lives!
2. We call this Sunday Easter, which means “dawn, new light, new life.” It is a day of celebration, but also a day of danger – that the message of Easter will fade, and we are not changed. And if the living Jesus does not change us, we will miss the Abundant Life that he promises us, full of love, joy, and peace, that only he can give.
3. Most of the Gospel accounts of that first Easter focus on pointing to Jesus – “There he is!” – and fail to bring Jesus from “out there” to “in here,” in us. But our account of Easter in Luke offers to bring Jesus in us.
4. This account begins with the announcement that Jesus is alive – raised by the power of God from death, from the tomb, from Hell. The resurrection of Jesus is astounding, but not nearly so astounding as what Jesus does next. He does not call a press conference, or confront the Pharisees or Pilate, or (in Luke) go to the 11 disciples or the women who stayed with him at the Cross. Instead, Jesus goes first to two unknown disciples Cleopas and an unnamed person – for whom we inserted each of our names.
5. As Jesus comes to Cleopas and us, he offers many truths of Great Good News. We focused on three that can change our lives. We come to the first by seeing Cleopas and you walking to Emmaus. Cleopas had hoped that Jesus would set Israel free from the Romans and restore the Kingdom of David. But now Jesus is dead. Cleopas’ hopes are destroyed, he is in pain. His face is sad. Fredrick Buechner says that the Road to Emmaus is the road of pain, taking us away from the place where our dreams have died.
6. We have all walked the road to Emmaus – when our spouse walks out on us, is unfaithful to us; our friend dies of cancer; we lose our job or fear for it; we cannot get through to our child; addictions control our lives; our family is estranged from us; the list goes on and on, and we ask: What happened to the dreams I had for my life, our lives?
7. The first Great Good News of Easter is this: Jesus is alive – and he hears our cries, comes to us, and listens to us! He comes, not in a church or on Easter, but in the midst of our lives, every day. He asks Cleopas and us, “Why are you sad?” I have experienced this so many times when I have faced fear, loss, pain, and I cried out to Jesus. He always comes, in his time – sometimes through others, but always himself. I feel him in my heart.
8. And whatever fear, loss, or pain we suffer, Jesus has experienced it. He has been to Hell and back. He has been wherever you are – and he wants to be there with you! Of all the things Jesus could have done on Easter, he chose to come to two ordinary people, to hear the cries of those who need him…
9. Who is Jesus? Our Resurrected Lord – Who comes to us when we cry out to him!
10. The Second Great Good News of Easter is this: When Jesus hears our cries, he offers us what we need – And what we need is God’s Word! Jesus says to Cleopas and us: “How foolish you are and slow to believe everything the Scripture says about me.” We have heard this so many times before, and now we hear it from Jesus at Easter. God’s Word is the way to the Abundant Life. It is not a coincidence that we gave our children their Bibles on Easter. As Abraham Lincoln said, “God has given us many things, but His greatest gift is the Bible….”
11. Jesus opened God’s Word in Isaiah, where God promises: “My Servant will bear your infirmities and carry your sorrows. My Word will not come back empty. I will accomplish my desires. I will give you joy and peace.” When Jesus opened God’s Word to Cleopas, his heart burned with fire, the fire of the living Jesus living in him – that can live in us! Of all the things Jesus could have done on Easter, he chose to reveal God’s Word to those who need it. The Serenity Prayer asks God to give us the courage and wisdom to change the things that we can. If you are not reading God’s Word, I pray that you will have the courage and wisdom to make that change.
12. Who is Jesus? Our Resurrected Lord – Who offers to give us peace, joy, and power, and God’s desires for our lives, through God’s Word, the Bible!
13. There is one more Great Good News from this Easter encounter: Easter can be every day for us if we do what Cleopas did – Invite Jesus to come and stay with us! Jesus does not force himself on us. He leaves us to decide – to invite him into our lives, or just leave him here when we leave.
14. I concluded on Sunday by sharing with you the decision I made to invite Jesus to stay with me. My experience is too long to repeat here (listen to it on the website). But it happened for me the morning of my first Sermon here – Easter morning. I knew that my life was about to change, and I knew I could not do what was about to happen on my own. So I prayed for Jesus to come and live in me and stay with me. Jesus accepted my invitation, and my life has never been the same. I feel him living in me, he leads me with God’s Word, and fills me with his fire!
15. And not only has my life been changed, my life with Sallie has been changed. We pray more, read the Bible more, are led by Jesus more. Our life together is better than it has ever been, since Jesus moved in….
16. On this Easter, if you are ready for a new dawn, a new life, do not wait another day. Invite Jesus to come and stay with you, in your marriage, in your family, in your business, in every part of your life – to fill you with his presence, to fill you with his fire!
17. Who is Jesus? Our Resurrected Lord – Who will come and guide us, live in us, and fill us with his fire, if we will just invite him to come and stay, not just on this Easter Day, but every day!

Connection for the Week: Invite Jesus to come and guide you by God’s Word and to fill every part of your life with his fire; ask your spouse or family or friend to join you in asking; and experience how Jesus comes, listens, guides, and fills.

For more information about Meadowlake, visit our website at www.meadowlakechurch.com