Resurrection Sunday

“The Lord is risen, He is risen, indeed!” (Luke 24:34)

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all the things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Sunday has dawned. The rock is rolled away. The tomb is empty. Jesus is gone. The power of God has defeated the final power – the power of death and the grave. From this day on, the world will never again be the same. A new meaning of the word faith is entering the vocabulary of the disciples and followers of Jesus….they, and those to follow for generations to come, will now believe through faith and not through sight. In a short period of time, Jesus will return to His heavenly home to be with His Father and those of us here in 2011, must now trust and believe not in having Jesus physically with us, but in our hearts through the Holy Spirit and through the evidence we have of His continued existence.
Christ is risen! I told my family today that one of my favorite Easter memories is of the community Sunrise services we had at my home church (Bouldercrest Baptist) and the Cedar Grove Methodist Minister, Reverend Martha Forrest, would begin with the bold and confident statement – “The Lord is risen, He is risen, indeed!” Her voice would ring through the sanctuary and cause me to believe once again that the Lord is now risen and alive in our lives.
Christ is risen! His last instructions will come to us in the verse above which we call The Great Commission. It is our responsibility, our obligation, our job to make sure that our neighborhoods, communities, country and world knows of Jesus. Folks, it isn’t a suggestion to us, it is a commandment. We are to go, to train up disciples (followers) of Jesus and teach them of the ways of God and how they should live.
Christ is risen! Christians all over the world are celebrating today over this fact. But, what happens tomorrow? Do we go back to our normal lives, eating leftover easter eggs and jellybeans, ham, potato salad and put the ‘nice’ clothes back into the closet? Do we continue to remember the story of Jesus and the wonders, tragedies and miracles of the past season? Or do we just put it aside for another year (or at least until Christmas when many head back to church again).
As for me, I have changed so much during my journey through the Lenten season. As I’ve said before, I never anticipated the results in my life when I began this way back on Ash Wednesday 40 days ago. The process of writing each day has opened my eyes to many changes that needed to happen and I thank God for that and for giving me the strength to do so. I’ve also received many positive comments from you, my friends, that continue to bless me more than you’ll know. You see, I don’t see myself as a particularly good writer; I just put down what’s in my mind and heart. It’s my therapy. But, if folks are touched by something I say or write, then to God goes all the Glory. He is the one who does it through me.
So, my friends, I am kinda sad for the ending of this period of journaling, but I also know it is not an end of my journey and I hope that it isn’t the end of yours. I am looking forward to the coming days and weeks with expectation and excitement to see what God continues to do in my life and in yours. Please let me know, I’d love to share in your walk! Continue to study God’s word, follow His instructions, and above all….LOVE!
Thank you all for sharing these days with me. Please remember that these are my thoughts and subject to your opinion, as they are mine. And, as I always sign off in my blog and other writings, and for today my friends, this has been the gospel according to Jimmy.

Thanks be to God!