Memorize & Ponder for Easter Sunday April 20, 2014
The Culmination of the Public Ministry
Matthew 28:9-10 (NRSV)
Suddenly, Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’
And they came to him, took hold of his feet,
and worshiped him.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid;
go and tell my brothers in Galilee;
there they will see me.”
Throughout 2014, the Christian community at Brentwood Presbyterian Church is getting to know Jesus, the Christ, in a refreshing and transformative way. We invite you to listen for what the Spirit is saying in the text, then question how those insights might change the ways you see things and act in the world. Share your thoughts during the week on the meaning the Spirit creates for you in this text by posting a comment here.
A Provocative Ponder
Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us provoke one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together … (Hebrews 10:23-25a)
Of course, it doesn’t make any ‘earthly’ sense. Jesus breathed his last. He’s dead, descended to the depths, drained of life, ready to decay in the darkness.
But that’s not what multiple witnesses sensed, and felt, and saw. They experienced Jesus as alive, present with them in some visible, touchable, bodily form. They heard him as well – words of comfort, words of challenge, words of commissioning. “Know that I live,” he was saying to them. “Everything that the powers that oppose the Commonwealth of God could do was done, and it didn’t work. The light of my life shines on through the remaining darkness. You are invited to live in that light, draw on its brilliance, spread its warmth. Come, and follow me in flourishing.”
This promise of dignity and worth as God’s companions does make ‘heavenly’ sense. It’s what happens when God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven. It’s what happens when we find our true flourishing in fearless fellowship with Christ. That’s the culmination of Jesus’ public ministry.
We’ll explore it further on Easter Sunday at Brentwood. Please join us, and bring your family and friends.
And a reminder to invite your friends and neighbours to contribute suitcases and diapers to our community service projects.