What a statement! I experienced the joy and hope and love of Easter in such a great way this year! I have been practicing lent - and this year I gave up movies. I know, this isn't "big" to most of you - but it is "HUGE" to me....I love watching movies, the stories, the pictures, the emotions - OH I LOVE THEM! But, I went on a "movie and TV fast" for the 40 days of lent - to make me practice anticipating. I think that as Christians we need to practice anticipation - our hope that the resurrection was a first fruit of things to come (that by God's grace we get to participate in!) So, I waited for Easter with a HUGE longing - and learned how little I long for Christ's return, and how I have to put things in my life that point me to that longing. But on with the story - Easter was great! I woke up and went to a sunrise service where we met on the 4th floor of a parking garage and watched the sun creep up behind the clouds. The pastor reminded us that the resurrection is not just something that happened "back then" but it is our hope for our resurrection - when we will be like Christ! Made like HIM! And then we can worship Him without sin, with our whole hearts and really love others as more important than ourselves! And then I went to the Episcopalian church down the street - and we listened to the hallelujah chorus and proclaimed the hope of the resurrection as we celebrated the Lord's supper - remembering Christ until He returns. but I wasn't finished! I went to first Baptist Dallas so I could sing "up from the grave" and "because He lives" - and they did not disappoint! and then....It was over? I was struck by how much we celebrate Christmas and stilt Easter - so I continued the celebration all day - lunch with friends - a quick nap- then dinner at my roommate's parents with 4 international students who had never heard of good Friday or Easter - and I got to tell them about it! And then..... a MOVIE!!! It was great! I watched Chariots of Fire and rejoiced that Easter was here! Christ - who is our Hope - is risen INDEED!!!
I believe that - I think as Christians we have to believe that. This is our daily experience. Christ unjustly bore all my sins - He was without sin, and took mine! And then, He offers forgiveness to me - Everyday, as I confess my sins, I scream "forgiveness is better than justice!" - But when it comes to me and my friends, me and the people who hurt me - I want justice. I want them to admit they are wrong, to change their behavior and get what they deserve - I don't want to offer forgiveness. I am so selfish- I want to feel like me and my feelings are the most important. I don't want to admit that forgiveness is better, because justice (in this area) is in my court - I would win. But when it is obvious that I would lose, I want forgiveness. What a hypocrite! I want to pick forgiveness, but to do that requires love, it requires me to think of her as more important than me, it requires that I think of her sin as forgiven by Jesus, that He bore all the pain, weight and condemnation of that act. No matter how painful, no matter how much I am gasping for air...Jesus says that she is His, that she is my sister, that her sin is paid for and that she now bears no condemnation, that we, together, have peace with God - and that this is a chance for me to declare that I am stranger on this earth, that I don't see things as only here on earth, that I am not waiting for people to think of me as the best, to agree with me, to treat me well - (I am here to identify with my Savior who was treated HORRIBLY, by the way, out of His love for the Father, His lovefor the glory of God and somehow for His love for me!) My act of forgiveness shows that I am eagerly awaiting the Savior who will put all things in subjection under His feet and will transform me to my spiritual body because I will be as He is! Forgiveness shows that I am not looking for acceptance here, but I am looking for the Kingdom, that I am living in the reality of redemption right now, That I am living out "on earth as it is in heaven" So, why is it still so hard for me to do it ?
I have realized lately that I don't pray enough - I have realized this in a few ways..... 1) I have been studying the church in school these days and one thing I have realized is how much we need each other - we are not complete without our brothers and sisters that make up this mysterious Body of Christ - and in that, I realized that the oneness that we are to strive for is IMPOSSIBLE without the work of the Spirit in each of our lives - and this means that we have to be dependent upon Him.....So I need to pray 2) I have realized that I need the discipline of coming to God and asking - pleading- for an awareness of His Spirit at work in my life and the lives of others 3) I have enjoyed the times of embrace as I have complained and whined and fussed - and I have been assured of my acceptance, redemption and reconciliation in Christ 4) I have found prayer to be a way to affirm my eager expectation of the return of Christ - asking for things now because all things have not yet been placed in subjection to Jesus (heb 2) and because of that I have needs and sin and need Jesus to return. Prayer is a way that I can affirm this 5) Jesus told us to do it :) I have been amazed at how easily I forget to pray - how much I need an attitude of living in Christ's presence to live in love as Jesus commands (and is so eloquently expressed in John's writings) - I have been amazed at how "self-sufficient" I can feel and how prayer takes a sledge hammer to that lie
