A Sunday No Other-SPECIAL EDITION

Luke 24:1-7 1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.  2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,  3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.  5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?  6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,  7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise."

I have a great ghost writer.  The story He has written is better than anything I have or ever will write. It is a simple story, made complex by our desire to be right.  It is a timeless story, able to span 2,000 years and still be relevant.  It is an unbelievable story, only because it is extreme.  It is about relationships to all and very personal to each one.  It is the Easter story.

The story is simple.  A man radically challenges the current religious system and has the acts and deeds to back up His story that He is the Son of God.  His story was written through the scriptures of the current religion and they failed to recognize Him.  Rather than upset their status, the desire was to get rid of Him and protect their own standing.  In getting rid of Him, they fulfilled the scriptures and opened a whole new chapter.  Blinded by the need to be right, they made the story complex.

Two thousand years ago, the government delivered the punishment at the request of the religious leaders.  They could not deny the people healed, and they could not deny the authority with which He taught.  The things He taught about are still relevant, still a way of life to be honored and revered, the basis of American life for at least 150 years.  People who honor His teaching are often seen as moral, ethical individuals.  They are still human, subject to sin, and sin will always be relevant.

Unbelievable are the lengths which this story goes.  He had to die to fulfill the requirements of the sins for all who have and ever will live.  It is extreme for a Father to require that of His Son.  Crucifixion is extreme pain, seldom matched in any form over history.  The results are extreme for all involved and their choice to accept or decline the gift of His life for yours.

The story is about relationships.  His life given for all people, free, and without reservation.  No matter where you come from, what you've done, whomever you have hurt, it is forgiven.  Because He rose from the dead today, the new life is available to you.  Since His life was required then, your life is required now.  Seems fair in a life and world that is often unfair.

The story is so personal that someone may need to personally relate it to you.  Go to church and listen to the story with an open heart and remember, it is for YOU.  I can only tell my story here, but someone who knows where you come from, knows where you've been, and knows where you're going can share it in the detail to make it personal.  The people of  God gather every Sunday, and the story is shared each week.  Happy Easter to all.