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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion March 24, 2008 Three Easter Insights |
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Frontline Devotion for Monday, March 24, 2008 by Fritz Foltz
I Peter 1:8-9
Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him
now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for
you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
There’s a lot packed into this complex sentence. After looking it over I found three pretty basic Easter insights.
1) Easter is a singularity. It happened only once in history. None of us has ever seen the Risen Christ in the past; none of us can look around and see Him now. We can never have exactly the same experience the first Christians had. We have to wait until we are resurrected in the future before we are going to see Christ Jesus face-to-face.
2) The experience we can have now is rather unique as well. We usually say “we believe” what we can not see. Here the writer says “we love” what we do not see. Christian belief involves love much more than knowledge. We are speaking of our relationship to a person, not a thing or doctrine.
3) All this makes Christian witnessing especially important. The only reason we can love Jesus is because those who did know him first- hand reported their experience to others who reported it to others who reported it to others. The only reason we can love Jesus is because someone around us here and now reported to us.
Of course, witnessing goes far beyond reporting. It not only speaks of basic facts, but also conveys the reporters’ love. In that sense, we do sorta have a similar experience as first century Easter people. The Church is the Body of Christ in our time. Those of us in the Church must make sure we do our part.
Make sure your witness is accurate, but even more important that it is loving. Modern Easters depend upon it.
Let us pray: We give thanks, Father, that you raised Jesus from the dead, proclaiming your love for him and all his followers. Fill us with his Holy Spirit that we might report that love to those about, especially those near this day. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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