Morning Grace

(Jesus) said to them:  “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.   But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;  and you will be my witnesses  in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,  and to the ends of the earth.”  ~ Acts 1:7-8 Don't mistake activity with achievement.  ~ John Wooden The resurrection was not a one and done event. The action of resurrection itself was not the greatest achievement. The achievement lay in how God through resurrection would spread the Kingdom of God beyond the borders of the Judean community. The achievement lay in the restoration and reconciliation of all things. And that's something that takes time. We celebrate the resurrection rightly. But we often mistake it - as well as Jesus' death on the cross - for the ends of of the story. Believe in the resurrection and you will be saved. Believe Jesus died for your sins. But if that's all t...

During her sermon on Easter Sunday, Pastor Janelle Krais told us how the resurrection event was the middle of the story. For the remainder of Easter, we'll look at the beginning of the latter part of the story - a story that remains unfinished! After his suffering, (Jesus) presented himself to (the disciples) and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.   On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command:  “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait  for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.   For John baptized with  water,  but in a few days you will be baptized with  the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore  the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them:  “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ...

But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?”  Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.  And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.  But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.  Not all flesh is alike, but there is one flesh for human beings, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.  There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one thing, and that of the earthly is another.  There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; indeed, star differs from star in glory. So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable.  It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.  It is sown a ...

Now on that same day two (disciples) were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles  from Jerusalem,  and talking with each other about all these things that had happened.  While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them,  but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.  And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad.   Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?”  He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth,  who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,  and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him.  But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.  Yes, and besides all this, it i...

Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew,  “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher).  Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” ~ John 20:16-17 The two most powerful warriors are patience and time. ~ Leo Tolstoy Nobody sees a flower really. It is so small. We haven't time, and to see takes time - like to have a friend takes time. ~ Georgia O'Keefe  How tempting to grasp onto and hold on for dear life to something or someone we don't want to lose. Maybe it is something we value. Or something (or someone) we have waited for. Mary is overjoyed to see her master again. So much so that she doesn't really see him. She sees the memory of who she believed he was. Not who he truly is. To truly see him, she had to be patient. It would all unfold in its time. Our faith is rather l...

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.  And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.  For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men.  But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he  lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead,  and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.”  So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.  Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worsh...

For the week after Easter, some deeper dives into the Resurrection . When (the women) looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back.  As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.  But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him.  But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.”  So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. ~ Mark 16:4-8 No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach; the same restlessness; the yawning. ~ CS Lewis The cave you fear to enter h...

For the season of Lent I'll be sharing devotions from Grace Lutheran's devotional book: "Forgiven."  While these devotions  are not my words and may not represent my own faith or theological understanding, they are  valuable personal faith perspectives of 40 of Grace's members and I am so grateful for their generosity in sharing them. Holy Week Ephesians 2:1-9 (sin brings death, Christ gives life) You were dead through the trespasses and sins  in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient.  All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else.  But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us  even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together ...