Why do you look for the living among the dead?

 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.  In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them,

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?

He is not here; He has risen.

I have been pondering these very words, in light of all that is going on in our world today - where death tolls are rising daily and stay at home orders continue to be extended, where the balance between fear and wise counsel can easily be intertwined. 

       “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

How often do we look for the living among the dead,

  Seeking things that do not bring life,

     Looking for fulfillment in things that only bring more emptiness,

               as if dead things can bring life.

How often do we focus on our current circumstance, trial or situation,
   seeking answers from endless news briefs, data or statistics,
        which can bring more questions, discouragement, fear or hopelessness.

Why do we look for the living among the dead?

     when all along the living one, the resurrected one, our living hope
             is the only one,

  to bring life to those dry places,      
            those thirsty places,

                     those dying and dead places.
  

He is the only one that fills those empty places.
        His resurrection life breaths hope into our present circumstances,
            His presence covers those discouragements and fears.

Sometimes we can live in the in-between place, 

    that place between His resurrection and the power of His resurrection,

               that place of knowing  He is alive and the place of living in that truth.

^{After he had resurrected -}

Jesus said to His disciple, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

His very breath of life covered them,
    In that very moment He filled them with His presence,
         Life giving salvation, eternity set in them.

But before He send them out,

   He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

       Imparting and reminding them of all He had taught them,

           head knowledge now becoming heart knowledge,

               the living word not only living with them, but now dwelling in them.

This Easter as we celebrate His resurrection, rest in the power of His resurrection, rest in His life giving presence...  

He has risen, He has risen indeed.

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The "Yada, Yada" Letters

Tomorrow will be the first year of my precious mama’s passing from this earth into God’s glory. 

I miss her so much, I miss our regular phone conversations, our week-long visits in person, but most of all I miss her letters.  

My mom was a faithful letter writer. Her letters were filled with the dailies of her life, such as what meat was on sale at the supermarket and who they had over for dinner. 

Over the years she wrote regular letters and made photocopies of them to mail it to each one of her 6 children.  We used to call each other up (pre-internet days) to see who got the original letter. 

Her letters became coined as the “yada, yada letters,” by my siblings because of the simplicity of them. 

The urban dictionary defines the word Yada as boring or empty talk, often used in recounting words regarded as too dull or predictable to be worth repeating. 

But I loved those “Yada Yada” Letters, because they gave me a glimpse of her everyday life and made me feel closer to her. It was through those letters that I got to see what was important to her, to know her heart, and to know her more personally.  

These past few weeks, I have been reflecting on Psalms 46.

Psalm 46

¹ God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.^[c]

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.
⁵ God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.
⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

⁷ The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

¹⁰ He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

¹¹ The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

God Himself said “Be still and know that I am God.” The word “know” here comes from the Hebrew word Yada or yä·dah'.

To know God is not to know about him but to learn to know, to perceive and see,  to find out and discern – to know by experience, to recognize, declare, acknowledge and confess, to know personally and with certainty. 

I like to call this - the know that I know that I know. A deep-rooted knowing.

In times like this- times of distress and when our nation is in an uproar, when fears are high –  we can be still,

we can dwell in the Most Highs presence,

and we can know that He is God, that He is our refuge and strength, and that He is with us.

We get to know our God by spending time with Him –

 Paul reminds us in Romans 15:4 that everything that was written in the past (in His word), was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

That hope comes from knowing Jesus. 

In this season of uncertainty, 

may you know God through His word –

may you perceive and see His life-giving presence, may you discover 
       and discern His wisdom, 
   may you not only recognize but also confess, declare    and acknowledge His goodness, 
    may you know Him with certainty 
       by experience Him personally, and  
may you hear His heart for you 
       through daily relationship with Him, 
as you read His “Yada, Yada" Letters for you. 

Our Church is online and streaming messages every Sunday. You can join us at: https://windbornchurch.net/

Love and Hugs,

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