Easter -- God's big YES!!

Happy Easter, everyone!! He is Risen!! Hallelujah!!

Another decently peaceful week. They're still working to move Sheila's things out, but she hasn't been living here steadily for a few weeks now. Progress in time. Rob and I are gaining some ground in the balancing act. It helps as Rob becomes more at peace over Mike's and my relationship and focuses more on his own life. My daughter Carissa, and her husband, Greg, are on vacation this week, so I get time with Brandi tomorrow after school, Tuesday morning and after school, and Wednesday we sleep in at take her to her other grandpa in the afternoon. Adventures in babysitting!! LOL They went up North to Greg's mom's and then they're heading across into Mid-Coast Maine to see my ex, Rich, and his dad. They'll also likely to visit my youngest, Jasmine, and another friend in the area. My son, Ben will most likely be working, but a possible visit may ensue. Prayers for a safe trip (or remainder thereof) and peaceful time for me and Brandi.

How many of you have met up with an old friend you didn't immediately recognize?? I'm "guilty as charged" of this myself. June 1988, the week after graduation. My mother runs into the office she was working for to drop off some paperwork. I'm waiting in the car. She comes out and tells me there's someone I'm going to want to see inside. I inwardly cringe, but head inside with her. Sitting at a desk, feet up, smoking a cigarette, there's this guy about my age. Even sitting down, he's really tall. He has dark curly hair and big blue eyes. The more I look, the more I realize there's something very familiar about him. Finally, after a couple of nerve-wracking minutes, I venture a guess. And I'm right, it's my bf from 5th grade!!! The last time I had seen him was in 8th grade when he came back to our school to visit one day. Now, anyone who knows me well enough knows that it's not at all like me to forget a guy I've liked. More especially if they've liked me back!! So you can just imagine how hard I was looking for a hole to hide in after that one!! LOL Something similar happened to the men in our passage today.

Luke 24:13-35 New International Version

On the Road to Emmaus 13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” 25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

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The men on the road to Emmaus didn't recognize Jesus for up to a couple of hours while He was with them. Jesus was just all casual, like, "Hey, guys, what's up??" And they're like, "Don't you know what's happened!!??" "How could you possibly not know!? "Have you been living under a rock!?" (actually... LOL)

Everything in life changes with the word "Yes". Marriage, babies, jobs, etc... yes, yes, yes. And your life looks different from that point on. Even if you end up "backtracking" at times, your life will still include those experiences. When you divorce, lose a child, lose/change jobs, lose friends, etc... whatever the issues that arise, we sometimes end up doubting if God sees us. We doubt if He cares. We doubt He can fix it. The most encouraging news in the World is YES. And the proof lies in the Resurrection of Jesus. Like the men on the road to Emmaus, or me back in that office with my old bf, we sometimes miss recognizing who it is that's with us or in front of us.

In the text above, are 3 major doubts that we may feel toward God in our times of trouble. Let's look at them and be encouraged --

Does God even care about me?? -- Are my troubles "too small" for God to even pay attention?? After all, He has the entire rest of the universe to run; why should I think He's going to care that I (_____)?? (fill in the blank) We think God is too busy to notice our "little trifles." We may even buy the lie the World sells thinking we're on our own. The trite sayings like, "Be the change you want to see in the World", or "Suck it up, buttercup!!", or "Pull yourself up by the bootstraps." They all sound good to some degree or another; but they are not including God into the equation*. The good news is, that our questions and doubts don't overwhelm God, they don't even disappoint Him*. He's more than happy to show the truth of Himself in love for us. His presence with the men on the road and with us, changes everything. He says, "Yes, I'm here; yes, I care." The Resurrection proves God cares!!
Does God see?? -- We look at all the mess the World is in and we may wonder, "Does God see this!!?? If He did, it seems like He would do something about it!!" Listen, the very fact that Evil doesn't make sense to us proves that there must be "something other" out there that does. It proves the goodness of God in the display of power it took to re-animate Jesus' physical body. When the men on the road to Emmaus saw Him, they knew there was something familiar about Him; but there was just enough difference that they couldn't quite put their finger on the facts. He still had the nail holes in His wrists* and feet; but the fact that He was alive when they had known Him to be dead just "messed with their heads" enough that they didn't recognize him. Likewise, my old bf's height and smoking threw me off for a bit. Jesus was the "Firstborn of many" (Rom. 8:29) He was the first believer to be resurrected to Eternal Life, signifying the end of the Old Covenant and the beginning of the New. The Resurrection proves that God cares because the death of Jesus on the Cross to redeem us from sin was not peripheral to showing His love, but the one essential move that was the source of power over Sin and Death. John 3:16 tells us, that "God so loved the World that He gave His only begotten Son..."
Is God even able to fix things?? -- The Resurrection proves God's power. He can, and is, fixing things every day. As we've said before, "God is always present and at work.*" As kids, we tend to be pretty fearless, don't we?? Build the bike ramp higher, right!? Pastor Matt shared a personal story here from his own childhood. When he was around 11-12 yrs old, his mother left him home alone with a friend. (already, you know this isn't going to end well, LOL) After a bit, they notice there's a roof on the house and they know there's an antenna mounted up the side for the TV. Bedsheets "kind of" resemble parachutes, don't they?? Yep. Painful lesson learned. ;p As we get older, we become more aware of the dangers that surround us, we become more aware of our mortality as older generations of loved ones pass on. We wake up with that danged "pillow injury" some mornings, don't we?? (I know I do) ;p But as we grow up paying more attention to the World around us, it's important to remember that God didn't create us to carry it's weight on our shoulders. That's what Jesus' death on the Cross was for. That was His job. It's not ours. The Resurrection proves that God has the power to fix everything*!!

As we take our journeys to and through faith, God is more than happy to meet us on the other side of the doorway of doubts and questions. And His answers all include a huge, resounding, "YES" to each one of us. And as we hear that "yes" from Him; what will our response be?? Will we say "yes" to Him?? Will we decide to follow Him daily and gain things like the following --

Family vs enmity
Freedom vs bondage
Hope vs despair
Faith vs doubt

-- God Bless!!

Footnotes --

I had honestly not seen anything wrong with these sayings until this morning's sermon, but now that I have new perspective on them, I see that; while they are all positive sayings in and of themselves, or at least honest and realistic, they all rely strictly on human effort. And, yes, we have to give God something to work with because "God helps those who help themselves"; but that's just the point, without His involvement, we can achieve very little.
Our questions don't overwhelm God or disappoint Him. The fact that we're acknowledging Him at all is good news to Him as He just wants to share His Good News with us.
Nail holes in His wrists -- most movies show the nails going into His hands, but that's inaccurate. The structure of the hands simply isn't strong enough to support that kind of weight.
"God is always present and at work." This is a major theme of our Church culture, as any who've been around for a while will know.
Power to fix everything -- As any will also know who've been around a bit, I've said this before, but it bears repeating here -- God is a good parent in that even though He can fix things whenever He wants, He knows that we need to learn the lessons brought out in the messes. That's why He doesn't just fix everything. Besides the fact that, we are His hands and feet on Earth, so it's partly up to us to fix things ourselves. So yes, we should, "Be the change", but that is best accomplished under God's wisdom and guidance.