After Easter

Last weekend we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus. I hope you were able to join us, either in person or online. And thanks to all who attended our Good Friday gathering. It was a special joy to share the evening with River Hills Church.   

I sometimes wonder what our individual faith journeys look like during the week after Easter. If the resurrection is the foundation of Christianity, then what happens after Easter for each of us?   

As I've thought more about this, I couldn't help but think about Jesus' disciples and other close followers. All of them were unlikely choices. For example, each of the four Gospel writers records the first individuals who went to Jesus' tomb. The first was Mary Magdalene. What's so beautiful about this information? This is the first clue that the resurrection is historically accurate because a woman would never have been recorded as the first to go to Jesus' tomb. On top of that, Mary Magdalene had a rough past. To make her the first eyewitness to this most incredible miracle was something that should not have happened.   

Jesus sent Mary to tell all the other disciples. She went quickly and told the others that she had seen Jesus alive. It was Mary's report that led the others to believe and eventually launch the church.   

I'm reminded of how powerful Mary's testimony was. In the same way, our testimony of the resurrection rests in our stories. We can tell others about the way God shows up in our ordinary lives and uses each of us to do unlikely work. Our stories reveal God's incredible power and patience. The weeks following the resurrection remind me that Jesus is still doing incredible work through unlikely people.  

Today, Jesus is still working through unlikely, ordinary people. Let me encourage you to share your story of life change with others. Then watch what God does with it.   

We'll begin a new series this Sunday called The Table. A table is an interesting place. Experts say that what has happened and continues to happen around tables has had more influence throughout the world and throughout generations than anything else. We will look at five different encounters with Jesus at a table and learn from them. Regardless of what stage of life we are in, we can all learn how to leverage our own tables for eternal impact.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Tom