paravanes:meditations

(c) Deborah Evans The resurrected Jesus did at least four specific things for his followers. I will summarize them for you. Look for these actions in your life and think of ways to expand the effects of these actions.  1. Jesus personally demonstrated his power and answered doubts his followers may have had about him. In Matthew 20:19-29, Jesus passes through locked doors to join his disciples and then reveals his wounds, uniquely verifying his identity. No imposter could completely copy or hijack his identity because what Jesus displayed was totally unique to him as both human and God. Also, read Luke 24:36-44. 2. Jesus personally passed his life energy to his followers by breathing on them and baptizing them with the Holy Spirit. In John 20:22-23, Jesus baptizes his followers with the Holy Spirit. Note the traits and actions of these Holy Spirit baptized followers: the power and persistence to follow Jesus completely right up to the moment of death, the courage to own...

                Photo: Deborah Evans (c) 2019 He is risen. Death is definitely defeated. He still has work to do .He will not leave his followers unprepared for the work he assigns. Love never leaves the loved one unprepared. The barrier is broken, from top to bottom. Receive the Holy Spirit. Death is defeated. Live like life never ends because, in Jesus, it doesn't. When Jesus speaks, lean in and listen.

Why is life after Easter different? Christian tradition and Holy Scriptures teach why the crucifixion was more than a political or religious execution. It was more than a good man's unjust death. It was more than a sudden end to a political movement. The resurrection celebrated as  Easter was more than a fable-type happy ending to a sad story. The ascension was more than an easy out to a story that might have ended in another death--this one from old age or because of an accident. Christian songwriter Andrae Crouch ( 1942-2015) wrote about the sacrificial elements of Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection when referring to Jesus' bloodshed experience: "the blood that Jesus shed for me will never lose its power." What does this mean? Christ's death is an image of and actually fulfills a "payment in full" for our rebellion against the God-created order. This rebellion can also be labeled as "sin." The greatest evil of sin is ...

Image from firstchatham.org One week after Easter celebrations in the western church is a good time to ask: what happens now? Part of what we celebrated for Easter was Jesus' experience of overcoming betrayal, intense physical and emotional pain, abandonment, and death. Having done all of this, he did not leave behind those who abandoned and left him (almost) alone to die. The amazing and wonderful thing he did was this: he returned to them, welcomed them back into friendship, showed them his victory over all of the negativity, and then commissioned them to give out his message of life. The life Jesus is offering us is not simply an "extended" or forever life. As spiritual beings made in the image of God, we will live somewhere forever. What's to be determined is where and how we will live and what we will do with this "forever" life. , When Jesus says he came that we will have life, and have it to the fullest , Jesus is offering us the ...

I have recently completed my three times per year ritual of going to the cemetery where my parents are buried (together, in what is called a "companion" grave site), clearing weeds away from the monument that bears their names and dates, and placing a seasonal floral arrangement. A good friend asked by why I do this. She said, "After all, they're not really there." I agreed with her and explained I do this because I recognize this space as the place where I bid them an earthly farewell, and that's very special to me.  Also, I recognize this space as the place from which they will be resurrected when Jesus calls them from the grave. The call may come next year, one hundred years from now, or a thousand years from now. It doesn't matter. Because I believe in the resurrection, a burial spot is sacred ground. That sacred ground deserves care and maintenance, if at all possible. (Image from Elmwood Cemetery , Detroit, Michigan) "O death, wh...