the resurrected jesus

Opening Prayer: O Lord, help us, during this season of Eastertide, to always be on the lookout for the Risen Christ.  Help us to see him and to hear him and to receive his life-giving breath, that we may be raised to new life as well.  Amen. 

Scripture: John 20:1-8

Journal: How is the resurrected Jesus showing up in your life and world these days?  How is the resurrected Jesus causing you to let go of the Jesus you thought you knew?  How is he raising you to new life these days?

Reflection: “Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside.  He saw and believed.  (They still did not understand from the Scriptures that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)” ~John 20:8-9

     He saw and believed, but they still did not understand.  You’ve got to love that.  We don’t have to figure it all out before we are able to believe.  In fact, if we wait until we “understand,” we will probably never come to Jesus at all.  It is not a prerequisite.  In fact, in some ways it is a hindrance.  If we do actually think we “understand,” it only shows that we probably don’t know the real Jesus in the first place, because he is always bigger than our understanding.  Life with Christ (especially during Eastertide) involves constantly letting go of the Jesus we think we’ve found, in order to discover that he is bigger and more glorious than we ever imagined.

Prayer

Closing Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that you are bigger and more glorious than I could ever imagine.  Help me to believe, even though I don’t completely understand.  Amen.