Resurrection Power!

 April has come, and Easter is coming…. This is the ideal time to consider, again, the magnitude of what Christ has done, and done for us.  Christ’s death and resurrection means that by faith, we are freed from our old life of sin and death and walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).  Our celebration of Easter is a reminder to us that our loving Lord died for us so that we may live with Him in eternity; and it is a proclamation to the world that Christianity is not merely out of the ordinary, it is extraordinary.  God taking on flesh to live among us, dying to pay for our sins, and then being resurrected to return to heaven to await the arrival of the saints.

 

There are limitless aspects to the events commemorated on Easter weekend.  There are two, though, that I find particularly compelling.  The first is the unfathomable power of the resurrection.  Death is unavoidable, irrevocable, and irreversible in this fallen world.  But the Bible tells us that God—and God alone—has the power to overcome death, to reverse it.  There are a few instances in the Old Testament where we see prophets raise someone who has died by the power of the LORD.  Christ, when He walked on earth as God Incarnate, raised some victims of death back to life.  And then.  Christ Himself—the Creator and Sustainer of the universe—died on behalf of mankind and then was raised in power and glory.  The plot of the story is so familiar that we often do not give it much attention.  But we would do well to take time to consider the absolutely incomprehensible power represented by the resurrection.

 

The second aspect of Easter weekend that I find helpful to ponder is that the death and resurrection of Christ signifies and signals that He has made a way for newness of life for those who would believe in Him.  And the newness of life that He offers is characterized by the same resurrecting power that raised Jesus (and others) from the dead.  Believers have an abiding relationship with the indwelling Holy Spirit.  We have resurrection power within us, to strengthen us (Ephesians 3:16-20), and to equip and empower us to minister in the name of Christ (Colossians 1:28-29)!

 

There is a common denominator of these two aspects of Easter weekend: both demonstrate conclusively that God is God and we are not!  Only God has resurrection power.  Christ died and rose to do for us what we could not do for ourselves—restore our relationship with holy and glorious Godhead.  We now have resurrection power, by the Holy Spirit, to minister in the name of Christ.  And we look forward to our own resurrection, again by the power and grace of God.  Christ has done—and is doing—what we cannot do for ourselves.

 

 

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.  II Corinthians 4:7.

 

The Lion and the Lamb

 March: In like a lion, out like a lamb.  We all know this saying.  March generally begins with cold temperatures and icy winds and then then often ends with warmer temperatures and gentle conditions.  The saying marks well the contrast represented by March as the transition month from winter to spring.

 

But from a Biblical perspective, the lion and lamb are not descriptions of opposites in the spectrum of weather conditions.  Instead, we read of Jesus as the Lion of Judah and the Lamb God who was slain for the redemption of the world.  The Lion and Lamb are not opposites but rather two aspects of the character of the second member of the Triune Godhead.  It is vitally important to keep those two aspects in balance as we walk before Christ in faith.

 

It is easy and understandable that each of us is inclined to emphasize one aspect of the Lord over the other.  Some find it easier and/or more natural to view Christ as the Lion: fearfully powerful and dangerous.  They carefully define and then obey the Bible’s commands to stay out of trouble and sometimes find comfort that those who are less obedient will encounter the strong winds of God’s judgment.  

 

On the other hand, there are those who focus on the Lord as the meek and gentle Lamb, led to the cross without protest, dying to redeem us.  They take comfort that Jesus is approachable and unthreatening and sometimes ignore or neglect His commands.

 

We know that Jesus is both Lion and Lamb: the all-powerful God of creation and final Judge as well as the meek God Incarnate who freely offered His life as a sacrifice for our sins.  These aspects of the Son of God are not opposites, and they are not in tension.  Rather, they give us binocular vision, so to speak, of our Lord and Savior.  He is the Mighty God who uses His incomprehensible power to love those whom He has created, to become the Lamb of God who freely offers Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of His creatures.  The sacrifice made by the Lamb of God then circles back, coming before the Lion of Judah’s judgement seat and acquitting believers of the sin charges against them.

 

Jesus is so much bigger than our minds can comprehend that He encompasses several apparent opposites: He is the Lion and the Lamb; the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End; He is full of grace and truth.  How can we live faithfully in that truth?  I believe that it is important to once again follow King David’s advice and ask the Lord to search us and know us, to reveal to us any way in which we serve ourselves rather than Him as Master.  Do we favor the imagery of the Lion of Judah or the Lamb of God as a self-serving shortcut in our walk of faith?  Can we seek to grow to embrace all aspects of our Lord and Savior?  May it be so….

 

Love in February

 February is a rather dreary month, which most likely contributes to the attention given to Valentine’s day.  As a celebration of romantic love, Valentine’s Day in February leaves something to be desired.  February is generally chilly and damp—not ideal for romantic walks and picnics!  Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day in February?  And is it only about romantic love?  A very brief look at ancient history will help us understand a bit how we got here.   

 

St. Valentine was a priest or bishop who lived in Italy in the third century.  He is known for his efforts to evangelize folks in the Roman Empire and his ministry to believers who were being persecuted by the Roman government.  While visiting Rome, he was arrested for his evangelizing, tortured, and executed.  According to our sources, Valentine died on February 14.

 

If we return to Valentine’s Day, 2025, we have a couple of things to consider.  While the focus of modern Valentine’s Day (and even in history) has been on romantic love, St. Valentine himself is remembered for the agape God-love that he manifested to believers and nonbelievers alike.  Both romantic love and agape love have value, but it is easy to argue that agape love is the more significant and eternal.  The good news is that we can pursue and exercise our “love muscles” in both directions, taking time to love a special someone in a special way even as we pursue loving others as Christ loves them.

 

The calendar position of Valentine’s Day need not be disappointing or frustrating.  It can be an invitation to recognize that all forms of love are from God and go beyond circumstances.  Love is not confined to warm, sunny days.  We can love in all circumstances, all weather.  May we know the joy of the Lord as we do so.