The six weeks leading up to Easter are meant to be a time of preparation. It's a time of sacrifice. Some may be asking, "With the pandemic, will Easter be postponed?" I know people who think Easter is a celebration of the past. For me, it's really a celebration of what's to come and it's big, really big. The exact day and time are uncertain. Even Jesus tells you only the Father knows. All I can say is this Easter will be unlike any the modern world has ever witnessed. If you feel like you lost your rhythm in this time of preparation for Easter, I would like to share five messages from Jesus to help you get through these difficult times. Here goes:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37). Jesus says this is the first and greatest commandment (verse 38). Jesus said this in reply when he was asked which of the commandments is the greatest. The question was meant to trap him so the Pharisees could get rid of Jesus and hold on to their power.
Love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27). This is the second part of loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind and it is equally important. Jesus said this in response to a question about how to inherit eternal life. Is there anything more important than eternal life? These two messages from Jesus are the keys to eternity.
Don't worry. There are more than 365 references to "fear not" in the Bible. You can find these references in Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, 2 Timothy, Hebrews, Revelation. Let these words be your strength in troubled times. Trust Jesus.
Behold I am making all things new (Revelation 21:5). Jesus said this while he was seated on the throne and he said to John, "Write this down for these things are trustworthy and true." He said the same thing to his mother while he was dragging the cross on his way to his crucifixion. Can you believe that? He looked into his mother's eyes and smiled at her. He was so badly beaten that he was barely recognizable but he wanted her to know that he, our Lord and Savior of the world, was about to wash all of us of our sins. This message wasn't just for his mother and the people around him. It is for you and me and all future generations. He is sitting on the throne right now making all things new.
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7). For those of you who have not heard my story about what happened to me when a visitor came to our church many years ago and challenged us to find a creative way to connect to God through the Bible, I'm going to share it here because it confirms what Matthew is talking about in Matthew 7:7. The visitor told us we should "randomly" open our bibles and pretend we're looking in a mirror when we read about the character on the pages. I dusted off a Vulgate version of my Bible which was translated by Jerome from Hebrew to Latin in the 4th Century. I closed my eyes and asked God to show me who I am in his eyes before opening my Vulgate Bible to the story of the naked caveman who was possessed by "legions," meaning multiple demons. At first, I was terrified to see my alter ego on those pages. It took years to understand God's point of view but I finally grasped my past, present, and future and now fully understand that the story is not really about me but about Jesus and his love for us. The most challenging part of the message was the part about the cave dweller wanting to follow Jesus. Jesus said, "You must stay and tell others about the good that I have done for you." Jesus promised he would return after his work was done. In the vulgate version of my Bible, the story mentions that when Jesus came back the whole town was waiting because the man "published" all the good Jesus had done for him. This hit me in the heart because at the time I looked at myself in the mirror I was in the publishing business with a group of partners. I have dedicated my life to share all the good Jesus is doing in my life. Everything that I am is because of Jesus.
Have a great day.
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