A friend of mine sent me an email this week with a story that I want to share:

John 20:6-7

Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.

During the last 40 days of lent, I have focused quite heavily on what Jesus did for us on the cross. But, I think that Easter is more than an acknowledgment and celebration of this free gift. We need to look at our lives and adjust the way that we live - because the grace and salvation we freely receive changes the whole context of life for us.

This verse about Jesus' resurrection makes some important statements about the way forward. Firstly, Jesus arose from the dead. His death saves us from our sin and allows us to relate with God in a new way. His resurrection was victory over the powers and principalities in an intense battle that had been going on since Lucifer turned away from the Lord. And finally the mention of the burial cloth is of major importance if we consider its interpretation in Jewish tradition. Servants waiting on their master's tables would clear the table if the master left a crumpled napkin on the table. However, if the master left his napkin folded, it meant that he was returning and did not want the table cleared yet. Thus, Jesus was sending a clear message to the Jewish people and to us that He was going to return.

As we reflect on what was done for us on the cross, I hope we will consider how this changes the way we should BE, and I hope we will consider what is still to be done.

Psalm 145:8-9

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

Easter is about God's grace and mercy shown to us through the sacrifice of His Son. Although He is mighty and pure and we should approach him with trembling and we should fear His wrath, we can be assured that he is first gracious and compassionate and loving.

Matthew 6:31-34

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

This is an area that I have difficulty with. Western society is very focused on independence and on providing for oneself - and on the 'can do' attitude. This piece of scripture is not advocating laziness or carelessness (there are many verses admonishing the lazy farmer etc). It does remind us though that God created us and will provide for us in some manner - that may be through the work we have, it may be through friends and family, or any number of channels. What these verses are calling for is an alignment of our hearts first. We need to have our focus on the right thing - then other aspects of our lives will fall into place. There is also a strong call here to live today and not in the future. Again this is not saying that we shouldn't plan (see several verses about farmers doing the necessary planning), but it is telling us to be present in the moment, to not dwell on, and lose ourselves in the future.

Colossians 2:13-14

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Why were we dead in the first place? - Because of our sin and sinful nature. This is the departure point for us. We cannot live up to God's standard and hence we cannot truly LIVE without the grace and the mercy of what Jesus did on the cross FOR US.

Through Christ's death on the cross, we were given life. Again. Through Christ's death on the cross, we were given life. Not just that, but we were made ALIVE - a far more potent concept.

What we celebrate this weekend is big. It has been warped by hunting for easter eggs and eating chocolate, but if we can look past the commercialisation, we will hopefully grasp the enormity of this. What amazes me is that Good Friday and Easter Monday are not celebrated as national holidays here in the US. One would think that these would be the first of the "holy-days" but it seems that the states themselves decide on that. Virginia, alas, has not recognised it. Hopefully we can use the opportunity of being in our places of work to tell others about this incredible and free gift that we received through the cross.

Consider that you are alive, and have a great day.

Philippians 2:12-13

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

It is strange to me that certain words have become 'dirty' in this day and age - obedience and discipline being two of them. Here Paul admonishes the people of Philippi (and us) to show obedience and to remember God's nature. God cannot accept sin. It is good that he doesn't accept sin. Things are only made 'right' for us through what Jesus did for us. Still, we must tread with caution and walk in God's ways once we receive the gift of salvation. How do we know what God's ways are? God works in us through the Holy Spirit, compelling us to do certain things and convicting us of other things ... our obedience to this heartfelt and intimate conversation with God is how we follow His purpose and work out our salvation.

Remember that because of Jesus, God is now with us (Emmanuel) and because of this He doesn't need to thunder down at us from Heaven or from a cloud-enveloped mountain. All He needs to do is whisper to us - I for one know that I need to tune my ears better to hear this whisper and to stop expecting the thunder.

Several of the verses that I picked (somewhat randomly) for this period of lent refer to our hearts. I found it interesting to see yet again that God was interested more in the hearts of His people than in the place they were in (in their lives):

Deuteronomy 8:2-5

Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.

The Jewish nation was wandering around in the desert with not much clue as to where they were or where they were going. That didn't matter to God, in fact, He used that situation to see what really mattered to them - their orientation according to their hearts. It seems cruel to test them like this, but God had to lead them to a place of humility before they would see Him and worship Him fully. I think the same is true for our lives. We are also in a wilderness (modern society) headed for a promised land (heaven). I think that our road there is not meant to be easy, partly because it just isn't, and partly because those kinks and bumps will hopefully teach us humility and allow God to work in our hearts.

In the same way that parents do not give in to every wish and command from a child, in order to discipline a child, so too is God doing a good thing for us by not granting every wish and desire we have. Through the humility of "not having" every desire fulfilled, we learn the true value of the things that are granted to us. We learn not to 'look a gift-horse in the mouth'. Although we see Christmas as the time of gifts, gifts that symbolise Jesus being sent to earth, the real gift was actually His death on the cross for our sins. Let us remember what God has done and is doing for us as we wander aimlessly in our desert and let us appreciate and value the Greatest Gift of salvation through Christ's blood.