Thursday, April 23, 2009

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Who are you looking for?

Who are you looking for?

A common scene in our house is me going through drawers, looking under stacks of paper and riffling through things my children have left lying around. I’m looking for something. It might be my cell phone, a book I’ve been reading, or a scrap of paper where I wrote down a reminder. It is something of uttermost importance at that moment. And I can’t find it. I get antsy. I go crazy with the thought of losing something.
Then my wife will ask me, “What are you looking for?”
When I tell her, she usually can tell me with a high degree of accuracy. I grab the object of my search, thanking God for giving me a wife that can keep me so balanced.
On the morning that Jesus rose from the dead, a lady named Mary (who lived near Magdela) went out to the Jesus’ tomb. She probably went out there to mourn. She probably felt like she was all out of tears. Someone she loved deeply was gone. She had seen him die a horrible death on Friday. She probably spent all night Friday, all day Saturday, and all night Saturday numb from the shock. On Sunday morning she went to go see how she might cope with this pain at the tomb. When she got there, the tomb is empty. Jesus speaks to her, though at first she doesn’t recognize him. Her tears and grief are consuming her. And then Jesus asks the important question: “Who were you looking for?”
Jesus is probably the most discussed figure in history. Many times he is the most misunderstood. This Easter, who are you looking for? Are you looking for a good teacher, a moral giant, a good example of how to live? Are you looking for a scapegoat, someone to blame, or an object of someone’s wrath? Or are you looking for what Mary found: A God who loves us with such a great love that He would give his only Son to overcome that which we cannot overcome ourselves. Would you go with me to the Empty Tomb this week to look for this Jesus?

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Who are you looking for?

Who are you looking for?

A common scene in our house is me going through drawers, looking under stacks of paper and riffling through things my children have left lying around. I’m looking for something. It might be my cell phone, a book I’ve been reading, or a scrap of paper where I wrote down a reminder. It is something of uttermost importance at that moment. And I can’t find it. I get antsy. I go crazy with the thought of losing something.
Then my wife will ask me, “What are you looking for?”
When I tell her, she usually can tell me with a high degree of accuracy. I grab the object of my search, thanking God for giving me a wife that can keep me so balanced.
On the morning that Jesus rose from the dead, a lady named Mary (who lived near Magdela) went out to the Jesus’ tomb. She probably went out there to mourn. She probably felt like she was all out of tears. Someone she loved deeply was gone. She had seen him die a horrible death on Friday. She probably spent all night Friday, all day Saturday, and all night Saturday numb from the shock. On Sunday morning she went to go see how she might cope with this pain at the tomb. When she got there, the tomb is empty. Jesus speaks to her, though at first she doesn’t recognize him. Her tears and grief are consuming her. And then Jesus asks the important question: “Who were you looking for?”
Jesus is probably the most discussed figure in history. Many times he is the most misunderstood. This Easter, who are you looking for? Are you looking for a good teacher, a moral giant, a good example of how to live? Are you looking for a scapegoat, someone to blame, or an object of someone’s wrath? Or are you looking for what Mary found: A God who loves us with such a great love that He would give his only Son to overcome that which we cannot overcome ourselves. Would you go with me to the Empty Tomb this week to look for this Jesus?