Dear Friends,

In my devotions this morning, I returned to Matthew 28, and was visualizing the women coming to the tomb on that Resurrection morning, seeking to anoint the body of their friend Jesus, only to find that the tomb was empty. The angel said to them, He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. They were in shock but after some moments, they hurried off to tell the disciples. I wondered, did they ever return to this empty tomb after that morning, did they need the reassurance that He was still gone? Well, no, because they, like the disciples, had the opportunity to see the risen Savior, up close and personal. Those had to be amazing moments, to be in the presence of the only One who had died and had been resurrected back to life, never to die again. That had to be very reassuring to their faith. And even without the empty tomb, the early church had over 500 witnesses who had seen the risen Lord (1 Corinthians 15:6).

To have an eyewitness to the empty tomb had to be so helpful for one who was becoming a follower of Jesus. But what happened after all the eyewitnesses died? What proof was there of this resurrected Lord and of new life in Christ? It was found in the transformed lives of those who had surrendered their lives to Jesus through the proclamation of the gospel message throughout the known world. Those who had accepted Jesus and had opened their hearts and minds to the power of the Holy Spirit to purify and empower them to live out the Jesus life daily - at home, in their neighborhoods, community, and everywhere they went. Now, when the invitation to come and see is given, it’s not to come to an empty tomb, or even to see our resurrected Lord. It’s to see us, we who have received Jesus into our lives, to observe our lives that have been transformed by the resurrected Jesus. As we learned last Sunday, it is the love of God released through us to be a neighbor to others in need, and to be His channel of prevenient grace.

So, how are you doing with your love quotient and your life expression? Let me help you with that. Join me Sunday morning as we learn more about loving the Lord and living the life. This just may be the best service we have ever had. Why don’t you come and let me know what you think.

See you Sunday!