Sunday 20 April 2014

At the Proper Time

Friends talking, preaching, hoping, praying, washing feet, breaking bread, drinking this in my name, amazing grace, blood sweat and tears, friends sleeping, a kiss, betrayal, thorns, spit, a cross, nails, death, darkness, curtains ripping, sun darkening, a tomb, a stone...rolling away, empty, beyond expectations...new life; He lives!

Friends, why so sad, wake up!  I have just been to the tomb, the tomb is empty, He lives; I have spoken to Him; Jesus is alive…let’s rejoice!

Amazing grace.

I was in the Easter service this morning…I was supposed to be in the early service and in the second service; accidents happen, that's what my son said.  Last night we had the practice; all the children, signs, flowers, streamers, happy faces singing and me…me, forgetting my words; feeling sad, betrayed by my own memory!  When the time was done, I asked the children to pray for me, that I might remember my words; they all assured me they would, pray, hard. I asked some friends to pray too, some gave encouragement, some brought paska, late at night, in their pajamas.

So the morning came and I was ready, more than ready, prepared, prayed over and in costume, I only needed to wait for the proper time.  The proper time, ahh, but not the right time; a phone call, where are you?  I missed the first service, betrayed by my own mind, yes late for the show!

But all was not lost, I was forgiven and the fact remains God does not need a perfect program to portray his message, He simply needs imperfect people to share His message…and I did, in the second service.

Here are my words…said in the character of Mary Magdalene in front of the children who had just sang Oh Happy Day while waving their streamers and flags with happy faces and the congregation of the second service…perfect.

The Easter lily, isn't it beautiful, tradition says that these flowers sprang up in the field around the place where Jesus died on the cross. The  bulb, the seed that grows a lily, it looks dead, but it’s not; once it is buried in the ground, in just a few days, it will come to life and in the proper time it will spring up into this beautiful lily. This reminds us of Jesus…He had to die on the cross and He had to be buried in a tomb…but He didn’t stay dead.  In just three days He came back to life.  He rose to heaven…and in the proper time He will come again.

Everything about this flower tells the story of Jesus.
The lily has the sweetest scent…the bible says that Jesus is a sweet aroma like a lily.
Its petals are perfect white…white as snow…like Jesus who has no sin.
The flower is the shape of a trumpet…a trumpet calling out the good news…this is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Yes, the good news, God loved us so much, that He sent His only son to die for us, to save us from our sins and to make a way for eternal life…

Jesus and new life, He wants us to live a new life.
Bury His seed in your heart, and He will live in you…and in the proper time 
we all will live with Him forever.
Today we celebrate and rejoice that…yes…Jesus lives!

Amazing Grace.

I love that.